ilifornia 

lonal 

lity 


LIBRARY    OF 

Mount  Morris  College 

MOUNT  MORRIS,  ILLINOIS 


Accession  No.  .....  &.Q    f  1 

........... 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 
THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


A  little  child  shall  lead  them." 


THE 


OLIVE  BRANCH 

OF 

PEACE  AND  GOOD 
•    WILL  TO   MEN 


ANTI-WAR  HISTORY 
OF  THE  BRETHREN 
AND  MENNONITES, 
THE  PEACE  PEOPLE 
of  the  SOUTH,  DUR- 
ING THE  CIVIL,  WAR 
1861  -  1865 


By 
S.  F.  SANGER  and  D.  HAYS 


ELGIN,  ILL.: 
BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 

1907 


Copyright,    1907, 

BRETHRKN     PUBLISHING     HOUSE, 
Klgin,    Illinois. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  REVISION. 


THE  manuscript  for  this  work  had  been  prepared 
for  the  press  in  1898,  but  its  publication  was  delayed 
because  some  important  matter  it  was  desired  to 
have  inserted  was  not  then  in  hand.  This  has  since 
been  obtained,  and  by  order  of  the  General  Missionary 
and  Tract  Committee,  and  the  request  of  Bro.  Sanger, 
the  work  has  been  re-edited  by  the  undersigned,  who 
by  personal  visits  and  an  extensive  correspondence 
has  aimed  to  secure  greater  accuracy  and  complete- 
ness. All  matter  not  related  to  the  subject  has  been 
omitted,  and  it  has  been  the  writer's  purpose  through- 
out to  make  it  the  exponent  of  a  principle  held  sacred 
by  our  people,  and  to  send  it  forth  on  its  mission  of 

Peace  and  Good-will. 

D.   HAYS. 
January,  1907. 


1703917 


PREFACE 


MT.  MORRIS,  ILL.,  October,  1897. 

AT  a  recent  meeting  of  the  General  Missionary  and 
Tract  Committee  it  was  decided  to  publish  in  book 
form  a  history  of  the  trials  and  experiences  of  the 
Brethren  during  the  late  war  between  the  States. 
The  object  of  the  book  is  to  set  forth  our  nonresistant 
and  anti-war  doctrine  and  also  to  show  what  was  en- 
dured by  our  brethren,  through  God's  help,  to  main- 
tain these  principles.  It  is  believed  the  experiences 
of  those  dark  days  will  be  helpful  to  future  generations 
in  "  contending  for  the  faith  which  was  once  delivered 
unto  the  saints  "  in  adversity  as  well  as  in  prosperity. 

The  book  is  to  be  published  by  the  Brethren  Pub- 
lishing House,  and  all  the  profits  from  its  sale  go  to 
World-Wide  Missions  of  the  church. 

The  Committee  has  appointed  Elders  D.  Hays,  of 
Broadway,  Va.,  and  S.  F.  Sanger,  of  Calverton,  Va.. 
to  compile  this  work,  and  any  assistance  rendered 
them  by  those  whose  experience  comes  within  the 
scope  of  the  book  will  be  greatly  appreciated. 

THE  GEN.  Miss.  AND  TRACT  COMMITTEE. 

In  compliance  with  the  above  action  of  the  General 

Missionary  and  Tract  Committee,  Brother  S.  F.  San- 

i 


viii  PREFACE. 

ger,  then  at  Calvcrton,  Ya.,  after  receiving  his  outfit 
of  stationery,  etc.,  with  which  to  begin  work  on  our 
Anti-War  History,  sent  out  a  number  of  circular 
letters  to  all  whose  names  and  addresses  he  could  get 
'that  were  in  the  number  of  imprisoned  brethren  in 
Richmond  and  Harrisonburg,  Ya. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  circular  letter  sent 
out  December  6,  1897: 

Dear  Brother:  You  will  see  from  the  enclosed 
statement  from  the  General  Missionary  and  Tract 
Committee  what  is  in  prospect.  If  you  have  had  any 
experience  or  have  in  possession  information  per- 
taining to  the  trials  and  imprisonment  of  any  of  our 
Brethren  during  the  \Var  of  1861-5  on  account  of 
our  peace  principles,  will  you  kindly  submit  the  same 
to  writing  as  you  know  them  to  be  facts, — in  the 
order  and  under  the  headings  indicated  below? 

1.  The  incident.      (Tell  what  occurred.) 

2.  The  time  and  place  of  the  occurrence.      (Give 
the  date  as  near  as  you  can,  and  also  the  place.) 

3.  The    persons.      (Give   the    names    of    all    con- 
nected with  the  incident.) 

4.  The   history.      (Tell    all    you    know    about    the 
incident.) 

5.  Personal    experience.      (Relate    your    own    ex- 
perience in   this  line,   if   you   had   any, — whether   im- 
prisoned,  drafted,  or  caused  to  leave   home  because 
you  were  opposed  to  war.) 

Please   answer    the    above   questions    as    fullv    and 


PREFACE.  IX 

correctly  as  possible  and  forward  the  same  for  the 
use  of  the  Committee  on  Compilation  as  early  as  you 
can,  to  S.  F.  SANGER, 

Calverton,  Va. 

The  response  to  this  circular  was  generally  prompt 
from  Virginia,  Tennessee  and  the  West,  and  a  number 
of  these  statements  were  identical,  which,  in  order 
to  avoid  as  much  repetition  as  possible,  have  been 
carefully  edited.  This  was  agreeable  to  the  expressed 
wishes  of  the  writers  who  sent  in  their  experiences. 

Then,  agreeably  to  the  suggestion  of  Brother  San- 
ger  "  that  since  our  early  brethren  suffered  greatly 
for  their  faith's  sake  in  Germany — before  they  em- 
igrated to  America — this  history  should  be  incor- 
porated in  our  book  so  as  to  preserve  it  and  give  it 
a  wider  circulation," — this  has  been  considered  in  a 
brief  yet  comprehensive  way  in  Part  I,  Church  and 
State.  Later,  September  13,  1898,  Brother  San- 
ger  wrote,  "  I  still  think  it  would  be  good  to  have  a 
copy  of  the  Act  of  the  Confederate  Congress  grant- 
ing exemption  to  our  brethren  from  military  service. 
It  would  show  that  the  law-makers  were  a  considerate 
people  and  favorable  to  us."  This  important  docu- 
ment, after  considerable  delay,  was  traced  through 
the  Record  and  Pension  Office,  Washington,  D.  C., 
to  the  Congressional  Library,  where  a  copy  of  it  was 
obtained  and  is  given  entire  at  the  close  of  this  book. 

The  leading  purpose  of  the  book  has  been  kept 
steadily  in  view — to  set  forth  the  nonresistant  doc- 
trine of  the  church  and  to  show  what  the  Brethren 
endured  to  maintain  the  principles  of  peace  and  to 


X  .  i'KEFACE. 

secure  for  us,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  the  liberty 
we  now  enjoy. 

A  number  of  illustrations  of  the  war  period  have 
been  secured.  The  most  valuable  of  these  in  illus- 
trating the  Civil  War  period  were  produced  by  Sis- 
ter Rebecca  Bowman,  of  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  some  ot 
which  are  original.  We  are  especially  indebted  to 
her  for  the  sketch  of  "  Thunder  Castle,"  the  "  Old 
Court  House,"  "  Perpetua,"  "  The  Virginia  Sisters," 
Petersburg,  W.  Va.,  and  the  Home  of  Eld.  Daniel 
Thomas  as  it  was  when  he  was  living. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  Geo.  P.  Brown  and  Co., 
Beverly,  Mass.,  and  to  the  publishers  of  Souvenir, 
German  Baptist  Conference,  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  for 
valuable  illustrations.  To  all  others  who  have  written 
to  us  we  hereby  express  our  thanks  for  their  words 
of  encouragement,  such  as,  "  Success  to  you  in  your 
work."  "  I  should  like  to  see  the  book."  "  I  hope  to 
see  a  copy  of  the  book."  "  I  trust  it  may  help  to  hasten 
the  time  of  universal  peace."  D.  H. 


Upon  the  whole,  the  object  in  publishing  this  little 
volume  especially  as  it  relates  to  the  Civil  War,  is 
threefold :  First,  to  give  a  true  and  faithful  record 
of  the  sufferings  and  experiences,  largely  from  the 
personal  testimony  of  those  who,  through  religious 
convictions,  declined  to  bear  arms  against  their  fellow- 
men,  believing  that  Christians  should  not  take  up  the 
sword,  but  follow  the  teachings  of  the  "  Prince  of 
Peace." 

Second,  to  testify  to  God's  goodness  in  protecting 


PREFACE.  XI 

them  in,  and  delivering  them  from,  prison,  as  well  as 
freeing  them  from  military  service  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  war  from  1862  to  1865. 

Third,  to  strengthen  the  faith  of  Christians  who 
may  yet  be  required  to  suffer  persecution  for  the  sake 
of  Christ  and  his  Gospel  of  good  will  to  men. 

Trusting  that  future  generations  may  be  blessed  and 
strengthened  through  the  perusal  of  this  volume,  we 
send  it  forth  under  the  blessings  and  guidance  of  Him 
to  whom  all  praise  belongs. 

SAMUEL  F.  SANGER. 
DANIEL  HAYS. 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  object  of  presenting  to  the  public  a  History  of 
the  Brethren  as  a  peace  people,  or  suffering  persecu- 
tion for  Christ's  sake  in  time  of  war,  is  that  our  peace 
principles,  and  our  relation  to  the  government  in  main- 
taining these  principles,  may  be  better  understood.  It 
is  to  be  regretted  that  the  relation  which  the  Brethren 
as  a  peace  people  sustain  to  the  civil  government  in 
time  of  war,  is  so  little  understood  that  some  have 
been  led  to  conclude  we  are  not  friendly  to  the  civil 
authorities  when  we  refuse  to  take  up  arms.  But  we 
are  now  living  in  an  age  when  "  light  is  spreading  and 
bayonets  think,"  and  we  are  confident  of  a  considerate 
hearing  when  we  assure  our  fellow-men  that  the  right- 
eousness of  a  people  is  the  glory  and  strength  of  a 
nation.  There  is  no  conflict  between  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  which  God  has 
set  up  for  the  protection  of  his  people.  The  separation 
of  church  and  state,  now  fully  recognized  by  the  peo- 
ple of  our  land,  is  a  fundamental  principle  in  the 
teaching  of  Christ  who  declares,  "  My  kingdom  is  not 
of  this  world."  The  relation  between  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  and  civil  government  is  set  forth  in  Romans  13 : 
"Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher  powers.  For 
there  is  no  power  but  of  God :  the  powers  that  be  are 
ordained  of  God.  Whosoever  therefore  resisteth  the 

13 


Xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

power,  rcsisteth  the  ordinance  of  God:  and  they  that 
resist  shall  receive  to  themselves  damnation.  For  rul- 
ers are  not  a  terror  to  good  \vorks,  but  to  the  evil." 
From  this  it  is  clear  that  governments  are  ordained  of 
God  for  the  protection  of  the  righteous  and  the  punish- 
ment of  the  wicked.  The  Christian  is  required  to  be 
subject  to  the  "  higher  powers,"  though  he  is  not  a 
subject  of  them.  The  Christian  is  a  subject  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  the  Prince  of  Peace.  The  govern- 
ment that  respects  the  peace-loving,  nonresistant  prin- 
ciples of  the  Christian  religion  has  the  strongest  sup- 
port that  the  righteousness  of  her  people  can  give :  a 
quiet  submission  to  the  laws,  their  tribute,  and  their 
prayers. 

The  world  needs  such  a  diffusion  of  knowledge  as 
will  cause  men  to  think  and  nations  to  reason.  Govern- 
ments are  helpless  in  the  hands  of  an  unenlightened 
people.  Rulers  are  driven  to  desperate  steps  by  dis- 
loyal subjects.  A  peace-loving  people  creates  a  like 
sentiment  among  others  from  subjects  to  rulers,  and 
the  threatening  war  clouds  often  disperse  before  the 
brighter  light  of  peace  and  truth.  The  leaven  of 
peace  must  be  infused  among  the  people.  Peace  among 
the  nations  can  be  reached  in  no  other  way.  Rulers 
are  powerless  to  control  the  war-like  spirit  of  their 
subjects.  The  only  remedy  is  for  each  one  to  become 
an  advocate  of  peace,  each  society  a  peace  society, 
each  church  a  peace  church,  for  the  diffusion  of  peace, 
love  and  good-will  among  men. 

The  great  Teacher  never  attempted  to  reach  the 
people  through  their  rulers.  It  was  among  the  people 
that  he  labored  to  establish  his  religion ;  and  it  was  to 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

the  people  of  all  nations  that  he  sent  his  disciples  to 
teach  the  same  doctrine  of  love  and  good-will  among 
men.  Christianity,  like  its  Founder,  is  not  selfish.  It 
reaches  out  with  loving  invitation  to  all  men  in  all 
nations.  The  universal  diffusion  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion will  insure  the  universal  prevalence  of  peace. 

During  a  war  the  energies  of  a  nation  are  directed 
toward  the  manufacture  of  the  sinews  of  war.  The 
moral,  intellectual  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  people 
are  made  subservient  to  this.  All  the  prayers  for 
peace,  the  lessons  of  love,  and  the  deeds  of  philan- 
thropy are  lost  in  the  gloom  and  horrors  of  human 
strife.  What  avails  it  that  the  mother  has  bestowed 
all  the  treasure  of  her  affections  upon  her  innocent 
boy?  The  innocence  of  youth  is  lost  in  the  hardened 
soldier,  and  the  gentle  nature  of  his  early  life  becomes 
the  instrument  of  revenge  that  seeks  a  life  as  precious 
as  his  own.  The  destruction  of  human  life  is  by  no 
means  the  greatest  calamity  attendant  upon  war.  The 
body,  it  is  true,  may  be  mangled  in  the  conflict,  but  the 
soul  becomes  blackened  by  rage,  and  distorted  by  re- 
venge, and  the  injury  bestowed  is  often  irreparable, 
as  death  shuts  out  forever  the  possibility  of  forgive- 
ness. The  forgiveness  of  injuries  is  not  contemplated 
in  war ;  it  is  not  within  the  reach  of  those  engaged  in 
human  strife.  How  revolting  the  spectacle !  Brothers 
of  the  same  race,  often  of  the  same  family,  meet  as 
foes  to  perish  in  the  conflict,  unforgiving  and  unfor- 
given ! 

Then  the  cause  of  war  often  hinges  upon  a  single 
point,  and  after  two  nations  have  exhausted  their  re- 
sources in  devastating  war,  the  question  at  issue  is  as 


Xvi  INTRODUCTION. 

much  undecided  as  before  the  war  began.  If  peace 
commissioners  are  necessary  at  the  close  of  a  war  to 
determine  conditions  of  peace,  why  not  submit  the 
question  at  issue  to  arbitration  at  once?  Is  not  war 
then  an  insult  to  human  reason?  Has  not  the  time 
come  when  reason  shall  assert  her  rights  in  the  coun- 
cil of  nations?  One  of  the  encouraging  signs  of  the 
times  is  that  arbitration  of  all  differences  between  na- 
tions is  meeting  with  favor  by  the  more  considerate 
among  the  enlightened  nations.  The  initial  step  seems 
to  have  been  taken  when,  at  a  meeting  of  delegates 
from  the  United  States  and  the  government  of  Eng- 
land, it  was  proposed  that  all  matters  of  international 
controversy  be  submitted  to  arbitration,  and  it  has 
since  then  assumed  a  more  definite  shape  upon  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Hague  Court. 

Then  it  becomes  more  than  ever  the  duty  of  every 
sincere  lover  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  to  point  out  the 
way  to  a  peaceful  solution  of  national  grievances.  The 
youth  of  our  land  should  be  taught  the  grandeur  and 
glory  of  self-sacrifice, — that  there  is  a  higher  standard 
of  bravery  than  meeting  a  foe  in  mortal  combat ;  that 
it  is  more  courageous  to  receive  an  injury  without 
resentment  than  it  is  to  inflict  an  injury  for  wrongs  im- 
agined or  received.  Truly  the  *'  fruits  of  the  Spirit, "- 
love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faith,  meekness,  temperance, — are  evidences  of  the 
heaven-born  origin  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  the 
man  who  is  a  servant  of  the  Prince  of  Peice,  whose 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  is  willing  to  suffer  perse- 
cution for  Christ's  sake  rather  than  to  take  the  life  of 
one  for  whom  Christ  died. 


INTRODUCTION.  XVli 

When  a  perfect  horror  of  the  shedding  of  human 
blood  and  the  taking  of  human  life  is  made  a  part  of 
the  education  of  every  boy  and  girl  throughout  the 
land, — when  every  minister  of  the  Gospel  shall  raise  his 
voice  in  the  interests  of  peace  and  the  common  brother- 
hood of  man, — when  rulers  shall  turn  their  rewards 
into  more  legitimate  channels  and  bestow  more  honor 
upon  the  benefactors  of  the  human  race  than  upon  the 
destroyers  of  mankind, — then  shall  we  see  the  dawn 
of  a  better  day,  D.  H. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PART  I. 

The  Olive  Branch  of  Peace — The  Church — Church  and 
State — The  Persecutions  of  the  Brethren  in  Ger- 
many and  America — Johann  Naas — Christopher 
Saur,  21 

PART  II. 

The  Peace  People  of  the  South  during  the  Civil  War 
— What  Will  a  Nonresistant  People  Do  in  Time  of 
War? — The  Western  Movement  from  the  Valley 
of  Virginia  in  1862— Reminiscences  of  the  War 
Between  the  States — The  Brethren  in  Tennessee 
During  the  Civil  War,  49 

PART  III. 

A  Lesson  from  the  Sea  (Introductory  to  Part  III) — 
Sketches  and  Incidents — Arrest  and  Imprisonment 
of  Brethren  and  Mennonites  in  1862 — Sketches  of 
B.  F.  Moomaw,  John  Kline  and  Others — A  Group 
of  Virginia  Sisters — Perpetua — Hymn  by  J.  C. 
Moomaw — The  Prisoners'  Song — Pilgrim  Stranger 
— The  Coming  Day,  100 

PART  IV. 

Nonresistance;  or  the  Spirit  of  Christianity  Restored,  163 

19 


XX  CONTENTS. 

PART   V. 

A  Voice  From  the  South — The  Temple  of  Peace — The 
Triumph  of  Peace,  189 

PART  VI. 

The  Exemption  Act  of  the  Confederate  Congres.,— 
Journey  to  Annual  Meeting  in  1862 — Payment  of 
Fines,  and  Thanksgiving — Exemption  of  Nonre- 
sistants  from  Military  Duty  by  the  United  States 
Government  in  1903 — A  Memorial,  213 


PART  ONE 

THE   OLIVE  BRANCH   OF    PEACE 


The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard 
shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf  and  the  young 
lion  and  the  failing  together:  and  a  little  child  shall  lead 
them. — Isa.  11:  6. 


THE  OLIVE  BRANCH  OF  PEACE 


THE  world's  great  need  was  peace.  For  about  four 
thousand  years  war  and  strife  made  sad  work  among 
men.  The  strong  trampled  upon  the  rights  of  the 
weak,  and  the  defenseless  were  at  the  mercy  of  the 
wicked.  Many  a  prosperous  country  was  overrun  by 
a  merciless  foe.  Many  a  beautiful  home  was  laid 
waste.  Many  were  the  lives  destroyed, — strong  men, 
helpless  women,  and  innocent  children. 

This  was  a  long,  dark  night  of  human  misery,  but 
the  world's  hope  gave  promise  of  the  dawn  of  a  bet- 
ter day.  The  star  of  Jacob  appeared  in  the  East.  The 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with  healing  in  his  wing?. 
Christ,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  was  born  as  the  world's 
Redeemer.  His  birth  was  announced  by  the  angelic 

host  with  "  GLORY  TO  GOD  IN  THE  HIGHEST,  AND  ON 
EARTH  PEACE,  GOOD  WILL  TOWARD  MEN/'  "  Behold, 

I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  which  shall  be 
to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day  in  the 
city  of  David  a  Savior,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord." 
Luke  2.  This  was  according  to  the  prophet  isaiah. 
"  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given  ; 
arid  the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder;  and 
his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The 
mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of 
Peace."  Isa.  9 : 6.  Then,  according  to  the  prophecy, 
the  declaration  of  angels,  and  the  testimony  of  the 
evangelist,  Christ  is  introduced  to  the  world  as  God's 
best  gift  of  love  and  good-will. 

23 


24  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

Christ  revealed  the  true  character  of  God.  He 
taught  us  to  pray  to  him  as  "  our  Father ;  "  that  as  God 
is  our  Father,  we  all  are  his  children,  and  members  of 
the  same  family ;  and  that  as  God  loved  us,  we  also 
ought  to  love  one  another. 

God's  love  in  sending  his  Son  into  the  world  was 
an  overture  of  peace.  God  gives  the  world  the  as- 
surance of  his  love  by  an  act  so  great  that  heaven 
and  earth  cannot  measure  it.  God  comes  to  the  world 
and  reaches  over  poverty  and  wretchedness  and  offers 
life  and  peace  to  those  living  in  sin.  It  is  said  that 
it  is  impossible  for  a  person  to  know  that  he  is  loved 
without  feeling  some  degree  of  love  in  return.  We 
love  him  because  he  first  loved  us. 

In  setting  up  his  kingdom  Christ  lived  a  life  of  peace. 
If  the  nature  of  a  kingdom  may  be  seen  in  the  life  of 
its  founder,  then  from  the  manger  to  the  throne  may 
be  seen  the  unmistakable  evidence  that  he  was  the 
Prince  of  Peace.  Possessing  unlimited  power  over 
the  children  of  men,  he  suffered  their  reproaches  with- 
out resentment,  and  endured  without  complaint  all 
the  trials  of  a  bitter  persecution.  When  in  the  great- 
est need  of  assistance,  he  was  forsaken  by  his  follow- 
ers. He  even  forbade  the  use  of  the  sword  for  his 
protection.  "  He  was  oppressed,  and  he  was  afflicted, 
yet  he  opened  rtot  his  mouth  ;  he  is  brought  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  slice])  before  her  sheaters  is 
dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth."  Isa.  53 :  7. 

Then  the  power  of  his  kingdom  rests  not  in  force, 
but  in  the  purity  and  spirit  of  his  example  and  precepts 
which  he  impressed  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
his  people.  lie  gave  the  world  a  pure  religion,  and 


The   Angel  and  the   Shepherds. 


26  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

illustrated  it  by  his  own  example  as  he  taught  it  by 
precept.  His  emphatic,  *'  I  SAY  UNTO  vor."  sweeps 
away  all  other  laws,  when  he  says,  "  Ye  have  heard 
that  it  hath  been  said,  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for 
a  tooth :  but  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye  resist  not  evil." 
And  again,  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said, 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy: 
but  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  dcspite- 
fully  use  you,  and  persecute  you." 

In  giving  the  Golden  Rule  to  the  world,  it  implies 
that  each  one  desires  to  receive  good  and  to  enjoy 
happiness.  "'  Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 
This  great  rule  of  life  and  conduct,  when  observed 
in  the  spirit  of  Christ,  produces  charity  toward  all 
men,  kindness  to  the  erring,  love  to  our  neighbor,  the 
denial  of  self  for  the  happiness  of  others,  and  the  ex- 
ercise of  the  spirit  of  forgiveness  toward  them  who 
do  us  wrong.  These  principles  are  high  and  noble. 
They  place  us  above  the  low  and  baser  passions  of 
human  nature.  Those  who  observe  the  Golden  Rule 
begin  such  a  course  of  good  deeds  toward  others  as 
they  desire  to  receive  in  return.  Tt  will  convert  en- 
emies into  friends,  reconcile  all  difference  among  men, 
and  bring  in  the  reign  of  universal  peace.  D.  n. 


THE     PRINCE    OF     PEACE.  27 


My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world. — John  18:  36. 

CHRIST'S  mission  of  peace  to  the  world  has  been 
committed  to  the  church.  All  must  admit  that  the 
principles  of  peace  are  essential  to  the  nature  and 
existence  of  the  church,  if  the  church  would  main- 
tain a  vital  union  with  her  living  Head.  In  its 
original  purity  the  church  is  known  in  history  by  her 
advocacy  of  peace  and  her  opposition  to  war.  When 
Christ  prohibited  the  rendering  of  evil  for  evil,  he 
pronounced  blessings  upon  the  meek,  the  merciful, 
the  peacemakers,  with  the  great  rule :  "  Love  your 
enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them 
that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully 
use  you  and  persecute  you."  The  spirit  of  peace, 
of  love  and  good-will  may  be  seen  throughout  the 
teachings  of  Christ  and  the  apostles.  No  fact  is  more 
clearly  established  in  history  than  the  fact  that  the 
early  Christians  understood  the  precepts  of  Christ  to 
prohibit  war.  Origen,  in  the  third  century,  says :  "  We 
no  longer  take  up  sword  against  nation,  nor  do  we 
learn  war  any  more,  having  become  children  of 
peace  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  who  is  our  leader."  Justin 
Martyr,  in  the  second  century,  says :  "  We  who  for- 
merly used  to  murder  one  another,  now  refrain  from 
making  war  upon  our  enemies." 

What  a  wonderful  evidence  is  this  of  the  transform- 
ing power  of  the  Christian  religion  ? 


28  THE    OLIVE     P.RAXCH     OF     PEACE. 

Tertullian,  in  the  second  century,  says :  "  Inquiry  is 
made  whether  a  believer  may  turn  himself  into  military 
service,  and  whether  the  military  may  be  admitted 
into  the  faith,  even  the  rank  and  file,  or  reach  inferior 
grade  to  whom  there  is  no  necessity  for  taking  part  in 
sacrifices  or  capital  punishments.  There  is  no  agree- 
ment between  the  divine  and  the  human  sacrament, 
the  standard  of  Christ  and  the  standard  of  the  devil, 
the  camp  of  light  and  the  camp  of  darkness. 
But  how  will  a  Christian  man  war,  nay,  how  will  he 
serve  in  peace  without  a  sword  which  the  Lord  has 
taken  away  ?  " 

The  extracts  from  the  writings  of  Justin  Martyr  and 
Tertullian  show  clearly  that  the  church  in  the  second 
and  third  centuries  held  war  to  be  inconsistent  with 
Christianity.  The  Waldenses,  of  later  date,  according 
to  Robinson  and  Neander,  held  it  "  unlawful  for  a 
Christian  to  take  oaths,  to  bear  arms,  or  to  shed  human 
blood."  ;'  They  condemned  absolutely  the  oath,  all 
shedding  of  blood,  military  service  and  the  punishment 
of  death." 

To  this  testimony  of  faithful  witnesses  from  the 
pages  of  history,  we  will  add  the  evidence  of  the 
church  of  the  Brethren  in  Annual  Meeting  of  1845  : 
"  In  regard  to  our  being  altogether  defenseless,  not 
to  withstand  evil,  but  to  overcome  evil  with  good, 
the  Brethren  consider  that  the  nearer  \ve  follow  the 
bright  example  of  the  Lamb  of  God  who  willingly 
suffered  the  cross,  and  prayed  for  his  enemies,  who, 
though  heir  of  all  things,  had  on  earth  '  not  where  to 
lay  his  head  ;  '  the  more  we  shall  fulfill  our  high  call- 
ing and  obtain  grace  to  deny  ourselves  for  Christ  and 


DECLARATION     OF     PEACE     PRINCIPLES.  29 

his  Gospel's  sake,  even  to  the  loss  of  our  property,  our 
liberty  and  our  lives." 

Then,  in  1864,  during  the  Civil  War  in  the  United 
States,  the  church  in  Annual  Meeting  made  the  fol- 
lowing declaration  of  her  peace  principles :  "  We  ex- 
hort the  Brethren  to  steadfastness  in  the  faith,  and 
believe  that  the  times  in  which  our  lots  are  cast, 
strongly  demand  of  us  a  strict  adherence  to  all  our 
principles,  and  especially  to  our  nonresistant  principle, 
dear  to  every  subject  of  the  PRINCE  OF  PEACE,  and  a 
prominent  doctrine  of  our  Fraternity,  and  to  endure 
whatever  sufferings,  and  to  make  whatever  sacrifices 
the  maintaining  of  the  principle  may  require,  and  not 
to  encourage  in  any  way  the  practice  of  war." 

How  much  we  are  indebted  to  the  church  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  principle  of  peace,  during  the 
fiery  trials  of  the  Dark  Ages,  and  the  fierce  opposition 
she  had  to  endure  in  more  recent  times,  we  now  can 
scarcely  realize.  Wherever  the  church  has  gone  in 
her  mission  to  save  souls,  she  has  carried  light,  liberty, 
and  the  blessings  of  peace  with  her.  Education,  civili- 
zation and  refinement  have  followed  her  course,  and 
wherever  she  has  found  a  resting  place,  and  has  been 
permitted  to  spread  her  doctrine,  and  to  enlarge  her 
tents,  there  the  elevating  influence  of  her  presence 
is  felt  and  seen  in  the  high  moral  character  of  the  people 
and  the  development  of  the  material  resources  of  the 
country,  for  the  comfort  and  prosperity  of  the  laboring 
class.  We  enjoy  the  blessings  of  peace  to-day  because 
the  church,  with  a  fortitude  unwavering,  and  with  a 
courage  more  than  human — breasted  the  storm  of 
persecution,  and,  by  patience  and  persistent  effort, 


30  THE    OLIVE    IJRAXC1I    OF    PEACE. 

has  at  last  been  permitted  under  God's  blessing,  to 
preach  without  hindrance  a  pure  Gospel  as  the  world's 
only  hope,  and  to  unfurl  the  banner  of  peace  as  "  an 
ensign  to  the  nations." 

The  beauty,  purity  and  glory  of  the  principles  of 
peace  are  so  far  above  sinful  human  nature,  that,  if 
there  were  nothing  else  to  recommend  it,  these  alone 
attest  the  divine  origin  of  the  Christian  religion.  The 
spirit  of  forgiveness,  the  love  of  enemies  that  seeks 
their  reform,  the  sacrifice  of  self  for  the  good  of  others, 
to  receive  and  bear  an  injury  without  seeking  revenge, 
are  principles  so  pure  in  conception,  so  exalted  in 
character,  so  far  reaching  in  their  influence  upon  the 
life  and  nature  of  man  that  the  possession  and  practice 
of  them  place  the  evidence  of  the  heaven-born  origin 
of  the  religion  of  Christ  beyond  the  cavil  of  skeptics, 
and  the  blasts  of  infidelity. 

Let  it,  then,  be  recorded  as  a  monument  of  ages  past, 
as  the  glory  of  all  lovers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  as  a 
prophecy  of  the  coming  and  nature  of  the  Redeemer's 
everlasting  kingdom,  that  the  church  has  never  stained 
her  garments  with  human  blood.  If  it  be  true  that 
every  denomination  stands  for  some  particular  aspect 
of  the  truth,  then  let  it  be  known  that  "  peace  on  earth, 
good-will  among  men,"  is  a  prominent  doctrine  of  the 
Brethren  church.  Upward  toward  God,  then,  let  us 
rise  in  purity  and  holiness.  Onward  toward  the  com- 
ing kingdom  let  us  press  in  righteousness  and  peace, 
that  we  may,  by  living  a  life  of  heaven  on  earth,  be 
prepared  at  last  to  enter  the  golden  gates. 

Like  the  mountain  top  clothed  with  perpetual  snow, 
far  above  the  reach  of  cyclone,  or  earthquake  shock, 


CHURCH    AND    STATE.  31 

with  her  white  crest,  emblem  of  purity  and  truth,  bathed 
in  sunlight,  while  below  perennial  streams  flow  out 
and  on  to  water  the  thirsty  land,  so  stands  the  church. 
"  as  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,"  above  the  blasts  of  infidelity 
and  the  upheavals  of  strife  and  war,  sending  the  light 
of  truth,  and  peace,  and  love  throughout  the  earth  to 
bless  the  nations.  D.  H. 


CHURCH  AND  STATE 


The  Persecution  of  the  Brethren  in  Germany 
and   America 


How  the  passive  endurance  of  wrong,  and  the  peaceable 
lives  of  nonresistance  induced  governments  to  recognize 
their  rights,  and  to  grant  liberty  of  conscience. 

The  highest  and  purest  conception  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  is  a  Free  Church  in  a  Free  State  as 
defined  by  Dr.  Schaff,  "  a  self-supporting  and  self- 
governing  Christianity  in  independent  but  friendly 
relation  to  the  civil  government."  This  liberty  was 
planted  on  American  soil  by  persons  seeking  a  refuge 
from  persecution  on  account  of  their  religion,  but, 
thank  God,  it  is  no  longer  confined  to  America. 

In  1636,  Roger  Williams  established  a  colony  at 
Rhode  Island  as  "a  refuge  for  persons  distressed  in 
conscience."  Here  full  religious  liberty  was  made 
a  part  of  the  fundamental  law. 

In  1649  the  Assembly  of  Maryland  passed  the  "  Tol- 


32  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

eration  Act,"  that  "  no  person  within  this  province, 
professing  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  shall  be  in  any 
ways  troubled,  molested,  or  discountenanced  for  his 
or  her  religion,  or  in  the  free  exercise  thereof."  In 
1682,  Wm.  Perm,  who  was  a  sincere  advocate  of  re- 
ligious liberty,  with  the  motive  to  provide  "  an  asylum 
for  persecuted  Christians  of  his  own  faith,"  established 
a  colony  in  Pennsylvania  where  freedom  and  equality 
of  rights  in  all  matters  of  religion  were  proclaimed. 
In  1688,  six  years  later,  Parliament  passed  the  "  Tol- 
eration Act,"  but  it  was  not  until  1833  that  the 
British  legislature  recognized  the  objection  of  Friends 
to  taking  oaths  and  accepted  instead  a  simple  affirma- 
tion. These  privileges  were  obtained  by  the  Friends 
in  England  solely  by  the  power  of  passive  resistance, 
and  it  should  be  recorded  as  a  singular  proof  of  the 
efficacy  of  the  faithful  continuance  in  doing  what  is 
right. 

In  1789-91,  the  first  Amendment  to  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  provides  that  "  Congress  shall 
make  no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion  or 
prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof."  By  this  act 
the  United  States  Government  has  incorporated  in  the 
fundamental  law  of  the  land  the  fact  of  "  absolute  re- 
ligious liberty,"  and  "  the  entire  separation  of  Church 
and  State." 

Wm.  Penn,  in  the  settlement  of  Pennsylvania,  gave 
to  the  world  the  example  of  the  triumph  of  peace  over 
physical  force.  He  bought  the  territory  of  the  Indians 
themselves,  and  made  a  treaty  of  friendship  with  them 
under  an  elm  tree,  and  the  savages  assured  the 
"  Quaker  King  "  that  "  thev  would  live  in  love  with 


EARLY    SETTLEMENTS.  33 

him  and  his  children  as  long  as  the  mOon  and  sun 
should  shine." 

The  way  was  now  open  for  the  peaceable  settlement 
of  Pennsylvania.  Our  people,  the  Brethren,  who  were 
persecuted  in  Germany,  at  the  invitation  of  Wm.  Penn 
commenced  emigrating  to  America.  The  greater  part 
of  the  Brethren  came  in  1719-29,  and  quietly  settled 
at  Gefmantown,  near  Philadelphia,  gradually  extend 
ing  their  settlement,  a  number  going  to  Amwell,  New 
Jersey;  others  along  the  Schuylkill  into  the  adjacent 
counties  westward,  then  south  through  Maryland  into 
the  Valley  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  and  later  into 
the  agricultural  sections  of  the  great  West.  The 
hand  of  Providence  may  be  seen  in  it  all.  As  it  was 
with  the  infant  church  at  Jerusalem,  when  by  the  hand 
of  persecution  the  brethren  then  were  scattered  abroad 
and  they  went  everywhere  preaching  the  Word 
(Acts  8:  4),  so  our  Brethren  on  account  of  persecu- 
tion left  Germany  and  came  to  America,  and  following 
the  tide  of  emigration  have  been  scattered  over  some 
of  the  best  agricultural  sections  of  the  United  States, 
and  wherever  they  went  they  planted  churches  which 
under  God's  blessing  increased  with  the  development 
of  the  country. 

We  now  pause  to  consider  the  question, 

WHAT  WILL  A  NONRESISTANT  PEOPLE  Do  IN  TIME 
OF  WAR? 

.  This  question  comes  from  many  parts  of  our  home- 
land, from  Europe,  and  from  far-away  India.  The 
solution  we  will  find  in  the  experience  of  our  own  peo- 


HISTORICAL     DATA.  35 

pie,  the  Brethren,  who  in  time  of  peace  and  in  time 
of  war  have  been  non-resistants.  We  know  not  what 
God  may  have  in  store  for  us  in  the  future,  the  past 
at  least  is  secure ;  and  as  he  has  been  with  us  in  the 
past,  we  trust  him  for  all  that  is  to  come. 

It  may  in  a  general  way  be  said  that  the  spirit  of  a 
people  may  be  seen  in  their  representative  men.  Histo- 
ry brings  to  our  view  many  examples  of  noble  men 
and  women,  and  to  prove  the  sincerity,  piety  and 
virtue  of  a  body  of  Christian  men  and  women,  we  can 
do  it  no  better  than  by  giving  some  illustrious  ex- 
amples. 

Historical  Data  Card  No.  One. 

* 

HARLEYSVILLE,  PAV  DEC.  20,  1905. 
Daniel  Hays,  Broadway,  Va. 

Dear  Brother: — I  did  not  write  the  article  you  speak 
of,  but  I  may  have  furnished  the  data,  as  Mrs.  Rosen- 
berger  has  been  to  see  me  a  number  of  times.  Con- 
cerning the  account  of  the  sufferings  of  Bro.  Saur, 
I  know  nothing  about  the  lady  you  name;  but  Dr. 
Brumbaugh  had  my  papers  on  the  sufferings  of  Saur, 
and  as  far  as  I  know  got  all  from  me  that  he  wrote 
about  Saur.  As  I  am  in  my  86th  year  and  nearly  blind, 
I  dictate  to  my  daughter.  Fraternally  yours, 

ABRAHAM  H.  CASSEL. 

Card  No.   Two. 

COVINGTON,  OHIO,  DECEMBER  18,  1905. 
Daniel  Hays,  Broadway,  Va. 

Dear  Brother: — "  The    Christian    Soldier    of    Cre- 


36  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

fekl  "  was  published  in  the  Sunday  School  Times: 
then  the  Gospel  Messenger  copied  it.  I  wrote  the 
article,  but  I  would  like  to  say  that  Brother  Abra- 
ham H.  Cassel  had  the  records,  and  I  read  them  in  his 
library.  Your  Sister, 

ELIZABETH  D.  ROSENBERGER. 

JOHAXN    NAAS. 

Johann  Naas,  the  most  eminent  of  the  Brethren's 
early  preachers  was  born  in  1669  or  70,  at  Norten,  a 
town  in  the  province  of  Westphalia,  twelve  miles  north 
of  Emden.  He  was  one  among  the  first  fruits  of  the 
Brethren  in  Crefeld,  and,  on  account  of  his  disinter- 
ested piety  and  great  natural  endowments,  he  was  soon 
called  to  the  ministry,  in  which  he  manifested  so  much 
zeal  that  his  field  of  labor  at  Crefeld  appeared  too 
small  for  his  ardent  desire  to  extend  the  knowledge  of 
the  newly  discovered  truth.  Hence  he  made  several 
very  successful  tours  through  the  adjoining  provinces 
as  a  traveling  missionary,  in  which  he  suffered  many 
privations,  and  once  narrowly  escaped  being  pressed 
into  the  army  of  the  king  of  Prussia.  This  incident  is 
given  in  the  following  narrative : 

THE  CHRISTIAN   SOLDIER  OF  CREFELD. 

Johann  Naas  and  Jacob  Preiss  were  traveling  to- 
gether, preaching  first  in  Crefeld,  then  in  Marienburg. 
It  was  at  this  time  when  the  caprice  of  Frederick  Wil- 
liam for  a  regiment  composed  of  giants  had  obtained 
world-wide  renown.  No  expense  of  money,  fraud  or 
intrigue  was  spared  to  obtain  gigantic  men.  Johann 


THE    CHRISTIAN     SOLDIER.  37 

Naas  was  a  veritable  Saul,  standing  head  and  shoul- 
ders above  his  fellows.  The  king's  officers  asked  him  to 
become  a  soldier.  This  he  firmly  refused  to  do,  as  he 
advocated  peace  principles.  They  proceeded  to  tor- 
ture him,  but  without  effect.  At  last  they  took  him 
before  the  king. 

"  Sire,"  said  the  captain,  "  this  man  absolutely  re- 
fuses to  enlist  in  thy  service.  We  have  brought  him 
to  thee  to  dispose  of  according  to  the  will  of  your 
Majesty." 

The  king  scrutinized  the  prisoner  very  closely.  Then 
addressing  him  said :  "  You  would  make  me  a  very 
desirable  soldier.  Tell  me  why  you  will  not  enlist." 

"  Craving  forgiveness  of  your  Majesty,"  was  the 
reply,  "  I  have  long  ago  placed  my  name  upon  the  no- 
blest and  best  of  enrollments,  and  I  would  not, — indeed, 
could  not, — become  a  traitor  to  him.  Therefore  I 
can  not  enter  thy  service." 

'"'  To  whom  do  you  belong  ?  Who  is  your  captain  ?  " 
queried  the  astonished  king. 

"  My  Captain,"  said  he,  with  a  quick  dramatic  ges- 
ture, "is  the  great  Prince  Immanuel,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  I  have  espoused  his  cause,  and,  your  Majesty, 
I  can  not,  and  will  not,  forsake  him." 

"  Neither  will  I  that  you  shall  forsake  him,"  an- 
swered the  king.  And,  handing  him  a  slight  token  of 
respect  for  his  fidelity,  he  dismissed  him. 


He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  of  America  with 
the  second  company  of  the  Brethren  in  1729,  and  staid 
with  the  church  in  Germantown,  until  1733;  then  he 


38  T11K    OLIVK    P.KAXCII    OF    PEACE 

with  four  other  families  crossed  the  Delaware,  and 
settled  at  Annvell,  Xew  Jersey,  and  immediately  found- 
ed a  church  there  which  is  in  a  flourishing  condition 
yet  to  this  clay.  During-  his  lifetime  this  church  was 
the  spiritual  birthplace  of  more  Brethren  than  per- 
haps any  other  in  the  Union.  In  fact  most  of  the 
churches  were  planted  by  emigrants  from  this ;  for  on 
account  of  their  straitened  circumstances  they  were 
continually  moving  to  other  and  newer  settlements 
to  procure  cheaper  homes. 

It  is  said  by  one  of  his  contemporaries  who  knew  him 
well,  that  he  was  unequaled  as  a  preacher, — being  a 
German  "  Whitefield,"  or  a  "  Boanerges."  Several  of 
his  hymns,  which  are  still  in  use  by  the  Brethren,  also 
speak  well  of  him  as  a  poet,  or  hymnologist.  He  is 
further  represented  as  being  very  mild  and  charitable 
almost  to  a  fault,  insomuch  that  he  occasionally  dif- 
fered from  his  brethren  in  the  administration  of  judg- 
ment to  offending  members.  lie  died  ripe  in  years 
and  full  of  faith  on  the  12th  of  May,  1741,  and  is  buried 
amidst  many  of  his  spiritual  children,  in  the  Brethren's 
graveyard  at  Amwell. 

Although  he  was  twice  married,  he  left  no  issue 
that  we  know  of  except  two  daughters.  One  of  them 
was  married  to  a  Brother  \Yilhelmus  Graw  in  Cre- 
feld,  who  never  came  to  America.  The  other  married 
a  Hannes  l.andis  who  afterwards  joined  the  Seventh- 
day  Baptists,  and  went  to  Ephrata;  but  soon  became 
dissatisfied  \vith  that  community,  and  in  1735-6  was 
reconciled  again  to  the  Brethren  and  became  a  member 
of  the  church  in  Conestoga,  where  he  lived  till  death 
took  him  home.  A.  H.  CASSEL. 


CHRISTOPHER    SAUR.  39 

We  are  also  indebted  to  Bro.  A.  FT.  Cassel  for  the 
following'  facts  concerning  Bro.  Christopher  Saur. 
The  account  of  the  sufferings  of  Bro.  Saur  during  the 
Revolutionary  War  in  1777-8,  shows  that  the  peace 
principles  of  the  Brethren,  and  their  refusal  to  take  the 
oath  were  not  understood  by  the  authorities  at  that 
time.  It  was  during  this  trying  period  that  the  passive 
resistance  and  patient  suffering  of  Christopher  Saur 
and  others  of  the  same  faith,  induced  the  government 
to  recognize  the  nonresistant  principles  of  the  Breth- 
ren and  others,  as  well  as  their  opposition  to  the 
"  oath ;  "  and  though  Benjamin  Franklin  at  one  time 
(1747)  had  assailed  the  Quaker  doctrine  or  "  non re- 
sistance," he  and  General  Washington,  both  of  whom 
had  knowledge  of  Christopher  Saur  and  the  Quakers, 
were  led  to  give  their  assistance  in  framing  the  Con- 
stitution and  to  put  their  signature  to  the  famous  char- 
ter of  American  Liberty. 

CHRISTOPHER  SAUR. 

In  all  probability  Christopher  Saur,  of  German- 
town,  Pa.,  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  with 
whom  our  Brotherhood  has  been  blessed.  On  Feb.  24, 
1737,  he  united  with  the  church,  being  then  in  his  six- 
teenth year.  He  enjoyed  the  best  educational  advan- 
tages for  that  age,  possessed  a  mind  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability,  and  in  his  day  wielded  an  influence  with 
pen  and  tongue  second  to  few  in  America. 

He  carried  on  an  extensive  printing  business,  pub- 
lished and  edited  a  newspaper  that  reached  a  weekly 
circulation  of  about  ten  thousand,  established  large 


40  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

paper  mills,  and  with  his  father  established  the  first 
type  foundry  on  the  continent.  He  published  nearly 
two  hundred  different  books,  translated  a  number  of 
them  into  the  English  language,  printed  the  first  Bible 
published  in  the  United  States,  printed  Sunday-school 
cards,  and  encouraged  Sunday  schools,  wrote  and 
spoke  against  the  evils  of  slavery,  and  took  a  leading 
part  in  founding  the  German  Academy,  made  a  pub- 
lic speech  in  favor  of  the  Academy  and  was  one  of  the 
largest  contributors  to  the  fund  for  erecting  the  build- 
ing. 

All  this  and  much  more  he  did  in  addition  to  travel- 
ing and  preaching  extensively,  for  he  was  an  elder  in 
the  church,  much  respected  for  his  learning,  piety,  loy- 
alty and  rare  ability.  As  a  speaker,  he  was  eloquent, 
profound  and  impressive,  and  wielded  a  pen  whose 
power  was  felt  throughout  the  land.  Where  is  the 
man  who  has  left  such  a  record !  When  we  read  what 
this  man  performed  in  the  short  time  of  sixty-three 
years,  it  seems  almost  incredible. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  was  stripped  of 
all  his  property  and  died  a  poor  man.  His  remains  now 
rest  in  the  Methatchen  burying  ground  near  Fairview 
and  Xorristown,  Pa. — From  J.  H.  Moore's  Sketch. 

"A  true  account  of  what  happened  to  me,  Christo- 
pher Sower,  during  the  late  war. 

"  Having  heard  how  a  number  of  Quakers  were 
banished  and  carried  away  to  J7irginia,  and  being  in- 
formed that  there  were  yet  some  hundreds  of  substan- 
tial inhabitants  on  the  list  to  be  taken  up  and  secured, 
among  which  my  name  was  also  put  down ;  and  as 


CHRISTOPHER     SAUR.  41 

there  was  already  a  beginning  made  and  some  of  the 
Millers  and  others  on  the  Wissahickon  were  actually 
taken  away  from  their  families,  I  considered  what  I 
would  best  do.  Knowing  that  Germantown  would  al- 
ways be  a  disturbed  place,  for  English  and  Americans 
would  continually  march  through  it,  forwards  and 
backwards,  and  having  three  of  my  children  already 
living  in  Philadelphia,  I  bethought  myself  to  go  there 
too — to  live  zvith  them  in  peace.  Accordingly  I  went 
to  Philadelphia  on  the  19th  day  of  October,  1777 
(many  months  before  the  act  was  made  which  forbade 
to  go  to  Philadelphia),  and  so  I  lived  there  quietly 
and  peaceably  till  the  23rd  day  of  May,  1778,  when 
I  went  back  to  Germantown  again,  and  was  in  my 
house  that  night  and  the  next  day  until  10  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  when  a  strong  party  of  Captain  McLean's 
company  surrounded  my  house  and  fetched  me  out  of 
my  bed.  It  being  a  very  dark  night,  they  led  me 
through  the  Indian  corn  fields,  where  I  could  not  get 
along  as  fast  as  they  wanted  me  to  go,  so  they  fre- 
quently stuck  me  in  the  back  with  their  bayonets  until 
they  brought  me  to  Bastian  Miller's  barn,  where  they 
kept  me  till  next  morning ;  then  they  stripped  me  naked 
to  the  skin  and  gave  me  an  old  shirt  and  a  pair  of 
breeches  so  much  torn  that  I  could  barely  cover  my 
nakedness.  Then  they  cut  my  beard  and  hair,  and 
painted  me  with  oil  colors,  red  and  black,  and  so  led 
me  along  barefooted  and  bareheaded,  in  a  very  hot 
sun-shining  day,  until  a  friend  of  mine,  seeing  me  in 
that  condition,  asked  them  whether  they  would  take 
the  shoes  from  me  if  he  would  give  me  a  pair.  The 
officer  in  charge  of  me  gave  his  word  for  it  that  they 


42  THE  OLIVE  BRANCH  OF  PEACE. 

should  not  be  taken  from  me,  and  so  he  took  the  shoes 
from  his  own  feet,  and  the  hat  from  his  head  and  gave 
them  to  me.  But  after  we  had  marched  about  six 
miles,  a  soldier  came  and  demanded  my  shoes  and  took 
them  and  gave  me  his  old  slabs  which  were  so  hard  and 
torn  that  they  wounded  my  feet  very  much.  On  the 
26th,  at  9  o'clock,  I  arrived  at  the  camp  near  Valley 
Forge,  and  was  sent  to  the  provo. 

"  My  accusation  in  the  mittimus  was,  '  an  oppressor 
of  the  righteous  and  a  spy.'  On  the  27th  in  the  morn- 
ing God  moved  the  heart  of  the  most  generous  General 
Miihlcnberg  to  come  to  me  and  to  inquire  into  my  af- 
fairs, and  promised  that  he  would  speak  to  General 
Washington  and  procure  me  a  hearing,  and  the  next 
day  sent  me  word  that  I  should  make  a  petition  to 
General  Washington,  which  I  did,  and  through  the 
good  hand  of  Providence  and  the  faithful  assistance 
of  said  General  Miihlenberg  I  was  permitted  to  go 
out  of  the  provo  on  the  29th  day  of  May.  But  as  I 
was  not  free,  it  being  against  my  conscience  to  take 
oath  to  the  States,  I  was  not  permitted  to  go  home 
to  Germantown  as  appears  by  the  following  pass,  viz : 
'  Permit  the  bearer  hereof,  Mr.  Sower,  to  pass  from 
hence  to  Methatchey ;  not  to  return  to  Germantown 
during  the  stay  of  the  enemy  in  this  State,  he  behaving 
as  becometh.  Given  under  my  hand  at  the  orderly  of- 
fice this  3Cth  day  of  May,  1778. 

'  NICHOLAS  GII.MAX, 

'  Assistant  Adjutant  General.' 

"  So  I  went  to  Methatchey  and  stayed  there  till  the 
23rd  of  June,  when  I   returned  to  Germantown  and 


CHRISTOPHER  SAUR.  43 

there  lived  quietly  until  the  27th  of  July,  when  Cols. 
Smith  and  Thompson  came  to  my  house  and  asked  me 
whether  I  had  entered  special  bail  at  the  supreme  court 
in  Lancaster.  I  told  them  'no.'  'Why  not?'  said 
they.  '  Because  I  had  no  notice.'  '  That  can  not  be,' 
said  Thompson ;  '  it  was  in  newspapers  and  handbills.' 
I  told  them  that  I  had  at  that  time  been  in  the  provo 
and  at  Methatchey  and  had  seen  none  of  those  papers, 
and  nobody  had  told  me  of  it  till  after  the  time  had 
expired.  '  Have  you  then  taken  the  oath  to  the  States  ? ' 
'  No,'  was  my  reply.  '  Why  not ;  were  you  so  attached 
to  the  king  ?  '  '  No ;  it  was  not  the  attachment  to  the 
king,  but  because  you  have  in  your  "  Act "  that  they 
who  do  not  take  that  oath  shall  not  have  a  right  to  buy 
or  sell,  and  as  I  find  in  the  book  of  Revelation  that 
such  a  time  will  come,  when  such  a  mark  would  be 
given,  therefore  I  could  not  take  that  oath  while  it 
stood  on  that  condition.' 

"  '  But  you  went  to  the  English  at  Philadelphia,'  said 
Smith.  I  said,  '  Yes,  and  do  you  know  why  ?  '  '  No,' 
said  he,  '  nor  do  I  want  to  know.'  Then  they  told  me 
that  they  were  come  to  take  an  inventory  of  my  per- 
sonal estate  and  sell  it,  and  to  rent  out  my  real  estates. 
I  told  them  I  would  submit  to  all  that  the  Lord  permit- 
ted them  to  do,  and  so  Smith  stood  guard  that  I  might 
not  put  anything  out  of  the  way,  and  Thompson  went 
out  to  get  appraisers  and  a  clerk,  and  so  they  began 
to  appraise.  I  then  begged  of  them  they  should  let 
me  keep  my  bed,  but  Smith  gave  answer,  they  had  no 
right  to  let  me  have  anything  besides  my  clothes  and 
provisions  (which  last  they  did  not  abide  by,  for  when 
they  found  a  barrel  of  beef  in  the  cellar  they  took  it 


44  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

down,  although  it  was  provision).  I  then  begged  for  a 
few  medicines  which  I  had  put  for  my  family  use,  be- 
ing chiefly  of  my  own  and  my  father's  preparations, 
and  nobody  else  knew  anything  about  them,  what  they 
were ;  but  Smith  said,  '  No,  medicines  are  very  valua- 
ble, they  must  be  sold.'  Then  I  begged  for  nothing 
more  except  for  my  spectacles,  which  was  finally 
granted.  Then  on  the  28th  the}-  told  me  that  I  must 
quit  the  house  now,  for  they  must  rent  it  out;  and  so 
I  moved  out  of  it  on  the  30th  of  July.  Then  they  pro- 
ceeded to  sell  my  effects.  But  before  the  sale  came  on 
my  son  Daniel  endeavored  to  stop  it,  and  applied  to 
Thomas  Mattock  and  asked  him  whether  his  father 
should  not  have  a  hearing.  He  replied,  '  Yes,  but  we 
must  sell  his  effects  first.'  He  then  applied  to  Mr. 
Lewis  to  stop  the  sale  till  next  court,  who  endeavored 
all  he  could  to  do  it.  But  they  had  invented  a  lie, 
namely,  that  I,  or  some  of  my  people,  had  secretly 
crept  into  the  house,  and  had  destroyed  all  the  New 
Testaments  and  that  if  the  sale  did  not  go  on,  all  would 
be  destroyed  before  the  said  court  would  come  on,  and 
so  they  passed  on  with  the  sale  of  all  my  personal 
estate,  and  rented  out  my  several  houses  and  lands  for 
one  year,  and  then  sold  them  also,  contrary  to  the  con- 
cession of  the  convention  in  the  case  of  forfeited  es- 
tates, by  which  no  real  estate  could  have  been  sold  be- 
fore my  youngest  son  is  of  age.  And  so  they  have  not 
only  broken  the  fundamental  rule  (of  the  government) 
in  selling  my  estate ;  but  have  also  published  me  in  al- 
most all  the  newspapers  as  a  traitor,  without  any  cause 
and  without  ever  giving  me  a  hearing,  or  trial.  Al- 


46  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

though  I  never  had  gone  a  mile  from  the  place  of  my 
abode,  and  their  own  attorney,  Mr.  Bradford,  has  him- 
self declared  to  a  friend  of  mine,  that  if  I  had  not  for- 
feited my  life,  I  had  also  not  forfeited  my  estate,  for 
they  had  no  more  right  to  my  estate  than  to  my  life." 

HIS    LAST   DAYS   AND   HIS   DEATH. 

I  close  this  pathetic  "  account  of  injustice  and  perse- 
cution "  with  an  extract  from  a  Memorial  Address 
by  M.  G.  Brumbaugh,  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, delivered  in  the  church  of  the  Brethren  at  Ger- 
mantown,  January  1,  1899: 

"  \Yhen  the  fury  of  war  had  blasted  his  hopes  and 
impoverished  his  life,  he  was  still  rich  ;  rich  in  his  devo- 
tion to  duty,  rich  in  the  love  and  confidence  of  his 
friends,  and  rich  in  religious  zeal. 

"  Kven  in  his  poverty  God  opened  to  him  a  refuge. 
At  Methacton  the  homeless  and  wifeless  old  saint  of 
God  found  a  refuge  in  an  old  building,  perhaps  the 
one-room  upper  story  of  a  spring  house,  belonging  to 
Conrad  Stamm. 

"  Accompanied  by  his  devoted  daughter,  Catharine, 
he  left  the  house  of  Brother  Henry  Sharpnack  in  Ger-- 
mantown  on  April  7,  1780,  and  went  to  Methacton  to 
die. 

"  To  the  credit  of  his  memory  and  as  an  example 
to  all  men  he  was  able  to  record  in  the  last  days  of  his 
life,  in  a  feeble  hand  under  the  accounts  of  money  and 
provisions  given  him  by  friends,  these  words  as  a  me- 
uxmal  of  Christian  honor :  '  The  above  has  all  been 
paid.' 

"  In  the  midst  of  his  toil  for  the  church  he  loved, 


A    SAINT    CALLED     HOME.  47 

Bishop  -Sower  was  called  home.  At  the  closing  hour 
his  devoted  daughter,  Catharine,  and  his  son,  Samuel, 
gave  him  the  ministration  of  their  loving  hearts,  and 
closed  his  eyes  in  peace. 

"  They  buried  him  in  a  walnut  coffin,  an  act  without 
precedent  in  the  family,  and  laid  him  to  rest  in  the  quiet 
city  of  the  dead.  At  his  funeral  service  Elder  Martin 
Urner  and  Samuel  Hopkins  paid  touching  tribute  to 
his  noble  life ;  .his  associate,  Bishop  Mack,  too  full  for 
utterance,  gave  tribute  to  his  worth  in  a  hymn  com- 
posed for  the  occasion.  The  hymn  was  sung  at  his 
funeral.  *  *  * 

"  Over  his  body  was  erected  a  simple  slab  of  marble, 

IN   MEMORY   OF 

CHRISTOPHER   SOWER, 

WHO  DEPARTED  HIS  LIFE  THE  26  DAY  OF  AUGUST, 
1784,   AGED   62   YEARS  AND   11   MONTHS. 

And  upon  which  is  carved  in  his  own  words  a  trium- 
phant challenge  to  death  and  an  eloquent  assurance  of 
faith  in  God : 

"  '  Death,  thou  hast  conquered  me ; 
Twas  by  thy  darts  I'm  slain ; 
But  Christ  shall  conquer  thee, 
And  I  shall  rise  again. 

"  '  Time  hastens  on  the  hour, 

The  just  shall  rise  and  sing, 
O  Grave,  where  is  thy  power  ? 
O  Death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  ' 


48  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE, 

"  His  work  is  done.  He  lived,  wrought,  suffered 
and  died,  and  is  not  forgotten.  In  the  literature  of  the 
country  his  name  is  written  imperishably.  In  this 
memorial  tablet  his  life  is  honored.  In  the  church  he 
loved,  his  holy  example  is  cherished  as  a  sacred  heri- 
tage. In  God's  love  he  is  gathered  among  '  the  hun- 
dred and  forty  and  four  thousand  who  have  come  up 
Ihrough  great  tribulation  '  and  who  stand  before  the 
throne  and  say,  '  Holy,  holy,  Lord,  God  Almighty.'  " 

D.  H. 


PART   TWO 


The  Peace  People  of  the  South  During  the  Civil 
War,  186 1-65.- What  Will  a  Non-Resistant 
People  Do  in  Time  of  War? 


In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation,  but  be  of  good 
cheer;  I  have  overcome  the  world. — John  16:  33. 


THE  PEACE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  SOUTH 
DURING  THE  CIVIL  WAR  IN  1861-5 


IN  looking  at  a  map  of  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica you  will  see  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  midway  be- 
tween Maine  and  Florida,  the  State  of  Virginia  with 
East  Tennessee  on  the  southwest  border.  There  are 
two  ranges  of  mountains  extending  through  this  State, 
the  Alleghany  and  the  Blue  Ridge.  Between  these  two 
ranges  of  mountains  you  will  see  the  Valley  of  Virginia 
extending  through  the  State,  and  with  some  variations 
into  East  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina.  This  Valley 
opens  through  Maryland  into  Pennsylvania  as  an  in- 
vitation to  the  immigrants  from  Europe  landing  at 
Philadelphia  to  come  south ;  and  the  Brethren  and  a 
number  of  Mennonites  began  to  move  southward  into 
the  Valley  of  Virginia,  some  as  early  as  1777-8,  and 
others  later, — a  number  of  the  Friends  having  been 
banished  by  the  authorities  to  Virginia  about  1777. 

For  a  period  of  about  eighty  years  the  Brethren 
enjoyed  comparative  peace  and  increased  in  numbers 
and  influence  so  that  there  were  a  number  of  large 
churches  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia  and  a  number  in 
Tennessee  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861-5. 
From  its  position,  bordering  the  Potomac  River  and 
Chesapeake  Bay,  with  Washington  City,  the  National 
Capital,  just  across  the  Potomac,  Virginia  was  in  the 
main  the  battle  ground  of  the  Civil  War.  The  Brethren 

51 


52  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

(whom  the  authorities  and  others  called  Tunkers  or 
Dunkards)  and  the  Mennonites  were  thus  living  in  the 
great  line  of  the  march  of  contending  armies.  Then 
the  seceding  States  were  endeavoring  to  establish  a 
new  government — the  Confederate  States  of  America 
— with  its  capital  at  Richmond,  Va.  Under  the  excite- 
ment that  preceded  the  secession  movement  and  the 
war,  the  Brethren  remained  passive,  attending  dili- 
gently to  their  religious  duties,  and  giving  their  influ- 
ence in  favor  of  peace  and  union.  The  year  before  the 
war,  the  Annual  Meeting,  or  General  Conference,  was 
held  in  Tennessee,  and  the  next  year,  1861,  the  meeting 
was  held  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia.  At  the  time 
of  this  meeting  the  war  had  actually  begun.  And 
though  there  were  but  two  brethren  in  attendance  out- 
side of  Virginia,  one  being  Eld.  Daniel  Miller,  of  Ohio, 
there  was  a  large  number  of  people  at  the  meeting.  At 
the  meeting  in  Tennessee  the  year  before,  Brother 
James  Quinter  was  the  clerk.  In  giving  an  account  of 
it  afterward  he  said :  "  Our  thoughts  often  revert  to 
the  scene  of  our  meeting  since  we  left.  We  think  of 
our  dear  brethren  and  sisters  far  off  in  Tennessee,  and 
our  Christian  love  is  awakened  afresb  towards  them. 
May  heaven's  blessing  rest  upon  them  and  may  peace 
and  love  dwell  among  them.  As  pleasant  as  our  meet- 
ing was,  and  as  refreshing  as  was  the  fellowship  of 
kindred  spirits,  the  time  of  our  separation  soon  came, 
and  we  had  to  take  the  parting  hand,  and  say,  '  Fare- 
well.' The  parting  scene  was  one  of  solemnity  and 
tenderness.  Tn  reverting  to  it  in  writing  these  lines, 
the  peculiar  feelings  then  awakened,  are  renewed. 


WAR    CLOUDS.  53 

Well,  we  thank  God  that  we  have  this  evidence  of  con- 
version :  '  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death 
unto  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren.'  " 

Such  was  the  spirit  of  the  meeting  as  portrayed  by 
the  gifted  pen  of  Brother  Quinter.  But  he,  as  well  as 
many  others  from  the  North  and  West,  was  not  at 
the  meeting  in  Virginia  in  1861.  A  threatening  war- 
cloud  was  hanging  over  the  State,  and  but  few  from 
without  ventured  within  its  darkening  shadows.  Yet 
there  were  noble  brethren  and  sisters  with  hearts  as 
tender  and  sympathetic,  whose  spirits  were  as  loving, 
and  whose  words  were  as  kind,  at  that  meeting  as  any 
that  walk  the  path  of  duty  in  the  paths  of  peace.  What 
must  have  been  their  feelings  at  the  moment  of  separa- 
tion? When  and  where  shall  we  meet  again?  What 
more  befitting  the  occasion,  or  expressive  of  the  spirit 
of  the  meeting  than  the  words  from  one  of  the  songs  of 
the  period? — 

"  Pilgrims   with    pleasure    let   us   part, 
Since  we  are  of  one  mind  and  heart, 
No  length  of  days,  or  distant  place, 
Shall  ever  break  the  bonds  of  grace. 
O  Jesus'  name!  let's  join  and  sing 
The  praise  of  our  dear  bleeding  King, 
Whose  power  will  keep  us  in  the  way 
Of  life  and  peace  to  endless  day. 

"  In  vain  shall  earth  and  hell  combine 
To  quench  that  love  which  is  divine; 
To  distant  lands  we  may  remove, 
But  nothing  shall  dis-solve  our  love. 
O  Jesus'  name!  let's  join  and  sing 
The  praise  of  our  dear  bleeding  King, 
Whose  power  will  keep  us  in  the  way 
Of  life  and  peace  to  endless  day." 


54  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  Civil  War,  in  the  same  event- 
ful year  of  '61,  an  article  appeared  in  the  Rockingham 
Register,  published  in  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  in  which  the 
writer  assailed  the  position  of  the  Brethren  and  the 
Mennonites.  The  article  came  into  the  hands  of 
Brother  John  Kline,  who  sent  it  to  Brother  B.  F.  Moo- 
maw  with  a  request  that  he  should  meet  it  in  defense 
of  the  principles  of  peace.  The  reply  was  written,  and 
sent  to  the  office  of  the  Rockingham  Register,  but  the 
editor  refused  to  publish  it. 

The  following  incidents  in  the  life  of  Brother  Moo- 
maw,  as  given  by  himself  in  the  Gospel  Messenger, 
now  published  at  Elgin,  Illinois,  will  serve  to  answer, 
in  some  degree,  the  leading  question  : 

WHAT    WILL    A    NOXRESISTANT    PEOPLE    DO    IN 
TIME  OF  WAR? 

After  South  Carolina  seceded  from  the  Union,  Dec. 
20,  1860,  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  all  the  Gulf 
States,  including  Georgia  and  North  Carolina  later, 
followed  the  example,  which  caused  an  immense  ex- 
citement throughout  the  Southern  States.  A  strong  ef- 
fort was  made  by  the  leaders  of  the  movement  to  in- 
duce the  border  States,  Maryland,  Virginia,  Kentucky 
and  Missouri,  including  Tennessee,  to  withdraw  from 
the  Union  and  unite  with  the  South.  It  was  during 
this  exciting  period  that  the  following  incident  oc- 
curred : 

'  A  large  number  of  citizens  and  among  them  those 
of  Botetotirt  county,  having  assembled  at  the  court- 
house on  court  day,  the  question  was  sprung  concern- 
ing the  course  Virginia  should  take  in  this  matter,  and 


RESOLUTIONS.  0.7 

it  was  decided  to  appoint  a  committee  to  draft  resolu- 
tions upon  the  subject.  I  was  appointed  as  one  of  said 
committee.  After  consultation,  we  agreed  on  the  fol- 
lowing :  '  Resolved,  that  we  are  in  favor  of  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  Union  if  it  possibly  can  be  done,  and 
therefore  advise  that  the  State  of  Virginia  remain  with 
it, — that  it  do  not  secede  nor  encourage  secession.'  But 
in  the  meantime,  an  aged  man,  a  judge  of  the  superior 
court,  had  written  up  a  resolution  favoring  the  seces- 
sion of  the  State,  which  he  read  before  the  audience, 
and  made  an  exciting  speech  in  favor  of  it,  declaring 
that  the  Union  was  already  dissolved,  and  that  the 
State  of  Virginia  naturally  belonged  to  the  South  be- 
cause of  its  location  and  its  institutions. 

"  The  question  of  the  adoption  of  his  resolution  was 
then  put  to  the  vote  of  the  meeting,  stating  that  those 
in  favor  signify  it  by  saying  '  Aye.'  This  was  re- 
sponded to  by  the  entire  audience  with  one  exception. 
The  negative  being  then  called  for,  a  single  individual 
responded  '  No,'  and  this  one  was  your  humble  servant. 

"  One  circumstance  I  want  especially  to  notice, — 
that  three  ministers,  representing  different  churches, 
made  an  appointment  in  a  village  near  the  center  of  the 
Botetourt  county  church.  The  object  was  believed  to 
be  to  capture  the  young  men,  the  sons  of  our  Brethren 
who  were  quite  numerous  in  that  vicinity.  Their  theme 
was  that  war  is  consistent  with  Christianity,  and  that 
it  would  be  honorable  to  unite  with  their  countrymen  in 
defending  their  country,  and  in  protecting  their  friends 
and  firesides. 

"  The  next  day,  Sunday,  I  preached  to  a  large  con- 


56  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

gregation.  I  took  for  my  subject  the  peace  principles 
as  taught  in  the  Christian  Scriptures,  bringing  them  in 
contrast  with  the  lectures  of  the  three  divines  as  pre- 
sented the  day  before,  and  in  my  closing  remarks  I 
quoted  Matt.  12:  41,  '  The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise  up 
in  judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn 
it:  because  they  repented  at  the  preaching  of  Jonas, 
and  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here.'  '  The  queen 
of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  judgment  with  this  gener- 
ation, and  shall  condemn  it:  for  she  came  from  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Sol- 
omon ;  and  behold,  a  greater  than  Solomon  is  here.' 

"  Then  taking  the  Bible  in  my  hand,  I  said,  '  The 
three  divines  who  addressed  the  assembly  yesterday 
may  be  great  men  in  their  way,  but  behold  a  greater 
than  all  these  is  here  ' — holding  up  the  Bible.  '  This  is 
our  guide,  and  may  God  forbid  that  I  shall  ever  come 
into  the  presence  of  my  Judge  with  the  blood  of  my 
fellow-man  dripping  from  my  fingers.' 

"  There  were  present  a  number  of  soldiers  in  their 
uniforms,  the  badges  of  war  upon  them.  They  hastily 
rose  up  and  went  out  of  the  house  and  were  seen  prom- 
enading back  and  forth  outside.  Seeing  this  I  ex- 
pected to  be  arrested  at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  but 
there  was  no  attempt  made  to  molest  me. 

'  The  war  being  upon  us,  it  became  necessary,  for 
the  protection  of  our  Brethren,  to  see  that  the  neces- 
sary provisions  should  be  made  to  secure  the  right  of 
exemption  from  service  in  the  army.  To  do  this  I  paid 
a  personal  visit  to  our  representative  in  the  legislature, 
to  get  him  interested  in  our  favor.  In  this  I  succeeded. 
We  then  got  up  a  petition,  in  which  the  Brethren  and 


EXEMPTION    ACT.  57 

Mennonites  cooperated,  which  came  before  the  legisla- 
ture in  due  form,  and  was  supported  by  some,  and  op- 
posed by  others.  Finally,  it  was  passed  to  grant  ex- 
emption on  payment  of  five  hundred  dollars  each.  We 
were  informed  that  the  chairman  of  the  house,  who 
was  acquainted  with  our  people,  took  the  floor,  and 
made  a  ringing  speech  in  our  favor.  He  spoke  of  the 
folly  of  putting  us  into  the  army,  because  if  we  were 
left  at  home  we  would  make  provision  for  the  people, 
but  if  put  into  the  army,  all  would  be  lost  and  nothing 
gained,  for  if  put  into  the  army,  '  they  will  fold  their 
arms  and  take  your  enemies'  fire.'  " 

NOTE. — This  exemption  act  by  the  Legislature  of 
Virginia  should  not  be  confounded  with  the  exemption 
law  passed  by  the  Confederate  Congress,  which  will  be 
described  later  on,  and  to  which  Brother  Moomaw 
refers  as  follows : 

"  Later  the  conscript  law  was  passed  by  the  Confed- 
erate Congress.  Then  we  had  a  repetition  of  the  same 
work  in  part,  to  get  Congress  to  recognize  the  exemp- 
tion law  as  passed  by  the  State  Legislature.  To  ac- 
complish this,  Brother  Jonas  Graybill  and  I  paid  a 
personal  visit  to  our  representative  in  Congress,  to  get 
him  to  use  his  influence  in  our  behalf,  which  he  seemed 
to  take  a  pleasure  in  doing.  He  also  secured  the  assist- 
ance of  a  member  of  the  Senate,  one  of  Virginia's 
ablest  men,  who,  we  were  informed,  made  one  of  the 
grandest  speeches  on  this  case  that  ever  was  delivered 
in  a  legislature.  I,  being  anxious  to  read  it,  wrote  to 
him  afterwards,  to  send  me  a  duplicate,  but  he  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  delivered  his  speech  extempo- 
raneously and  could  not  reproduce  it. 


58  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

"  But  the  Bill  was  passed,  and  that  was  enough,  and 
all  brave  and  honorable  officers  and  men  respected  it 
in  their  administration,  though  there  were  some  who 
were  not  such.  One  instance  I  will  relate.  There  \vere 
four  of  our  young  brethren  who  applied  to  a  certain 
quartermaster  whose  duty  it  was  to  recognize  the  cer- 
tificate of  membership,  receive  the  commutation  fee, 
and  give  the  exemption  papers.  This  he  refused  to  do, 
and  abused  them  instead  of  doing  his  duty.  They  were 
advised  to  send  their  papers  to  the  war  department  at 
Richmond,  which  they  did,  and  got  their  exemption 
papers ;  but  the  quartermaster,  learning  that  they  were 
at  home,  sent  his  officers  to  order  them  to  the  camp  of 
instruction  at  once.  They  came  to  me  to  know  what, 
they  must  do.  I  said  to  them,  '  Appeal  to  Caesar.'  I 
took  one  of  their  exemption  papers  and  enclosed  it  in 
a  letter  to  President  Davis.  He  wrote  to  me  at  once 
that  he  had  given  my  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
for  attention.  The  major  was  called  to  Richmond  to 
give  an  account  of  himself.  This  is  an  illustration  of 
what  I  have  asserted  before,  that  we  are  much  safer 
in  the  hands  of  great  men,  than  in  the  power  of  the 
lower  class. 

"  In  July,  1861,  the  Fifty-first  Regiment  of  Virginia, 
numbering  eight  or  nine  hundred  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Whorton,  came  into  this  vicinity,  propos- 
ing to  remain  a  while  for  the  purpose  of  military  train- 
ing. Some  of  our  neighbors,  thinking  it  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  inflict  a  punishment  on  me  for  my  anti-war 
proclivities,  piloted  some  of  the  officers  to  my  place 
where  there  was  a  nice  grove  with  a  stream  of  water 
passing  through  it,  which  was  indeed  a  very  suitable 


GOOD    FEELINGS.  59 

place  for  the  occasion.  Of  course  I  consented,  and 
anticipating  the  situation,  I  commenced  at  once  to  get 
into  the  good  graces  of  the  officers  and  men  by  kind- 
ness in  every  way ;  yet  not  so  as  to  compromise  my 
Christian  principles.  Pretty  soon  after  they  were  sit- 
uated, we  prepared  a  dinner,  and  invited  the  officers, 
about  twenty  in  number,  all  of  whom  came  and  seemed 
to  enjoy  it  very  much ;  and  I  soon  discovered  that  I  had 
succeeded  in  getting  their  good  feelings  toward  me. 
I  learned  through  them  that  they  had  been  approached 
by  some  of  my  neighbors  who  tried  to  influence  them 
not  to  spare  me,  but  having  succeeded  with  them  as 
above  stated,  orders  were  at  once  issued  that  no  damage 
should  be  done  me  in  any  way,  nor  should  there  be  any 
intrusion  upon  my  premises,  which  was  strictly  ob- 
served, so  that  in  the  two  months  that  they  remained, 
there  was  nothing  disturbed,  but,  instead  thereof,  they 
were  ever  ready  to  give  us  any  needed  protection." 

D.  H. 

THE  WESTERN  MOVEMENT  FROM  THE  VALLEY  IN  18(52. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  readers  of  this  narrative,  who 
are  unacquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  country  and 
the  condition  of  the  people,  it  will  be  necessary  to  state 
that  Rockingham,  Shenandoah  and  a  part  of  Augusta 
county,  lie  along  the  line  of  West  Virginia,  which  had 
separated  from  the  old  State  in  1861  after  the  seces- 
sion movement,  and  .came  under  Union  control.  Rock- 
ingham county  especially  juts  out  westwardly  with  an 
angle  into  Hardy  county,  West  Virginia,  to  the  top  of 
Shenandoah  Mountain,  where  to  the  west  may  be  seen 
a  magnificent  panorama  of  mountains,  valleys  and  ra- 


GOING    WEST.  61 

vines,  with  the  Alleghany  in  the  distance.  A  half  day 
from  this  point  would  bring  the  traveler  within  the 
vicinity  of  Petersburg,  West  Va.,  which  at  times  was 
occupied  by  the  Union  forces.  For  years  before  the 
war,  this  section  was  in  the  field  of  the  missionary  work 
of  the  church,  and  the  people  in  the  valley  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  people  in  this  part  of  West  Vir- 
ginia. Then  it  was  a  common  thing  for  young  men 
to  go  to  the  West  on  a  visit  to  relatives  and  friends, 
or  to  obtain  employment.  Once  at  Keyser,  W.  Va., 
or  at  Oakland,  Md.,  across  the  Alleghany  a  little  far- 
ther west,  it  was  easy  to  reach  Ohio  and  the  West,  on 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

There  were  two  companies  of  Brethren  and  Mennon- 
ites  that  left  their  homes  in  the  Valley  during  the 
month  of  March,  1862,  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  the 
West.  The  first  named,  about  eighteen  in  number, 
were  captured  near  Moorefield,  W.  Va.,  and  brought 
by  way  of  Woodstock,  and  Mt.  Jackson,  to  Harrison - 
burg,  Va.  The  next  named,  about  seventy  in  number, 
were  captured  near  Petersburg,  W.  Va.,  and  were 
taken  by  way  of  Franklin,  Monterey  and  Staunton, 
Va.,  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where  they  were  kept  in  prison 
till  released  by  authority  of  Confederate  Congress  on 
condition  of  paying  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dollars  each. 

We  have  the  following  names  in  the  first  company,  as 
given  by  George  S.  Wine,  of  Herington,  Kans.  (1898), 
he  being  one  of  the  number:  J.  M.  Cline,  John  A. 
Cline,  Daniel  Miller,  Christian  Miller,  Samuel  Wine, 
John  Swartz,  Hugh  Brunk,  Daniel  Hert,  Jackson 
Showalter,  Geo.  Hollar,  Philip  Hollar,  Robert  Hollar, 
and  Henry  Neiswander. 


62  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

Among  those  in  the  second  company  we  have  the 
following  names  as  given  by  Benjamin  Miller,  of  Sam- 
uel, now  living  in  Madison,  Kans.,  he  being  one  of  the 
number:  Joseph  A.  Miller,  David  M.  Miller,  Daniel 
Wine,  Frederic  Cline,  Martin  Cline,  Noah  Garber,  Joel 
Garber,  Isaac  Showalter,  Samuel  Humbert,  Martin 
Wenger,  five  of  Gabriel  Heatwole's  boys  and  two  of 
his  sons-in-law. 

J.  M.  Cline,  Daniel  Miller  and  Geo.  S.  Wine  have 
each  written  an  account  of  the  experiences  of  the  first 
company  named.  They  are  ministers  in  the  Brethren 
church,  and  are  men  of  sterling  character  and  influ- 
ence. Their  accounts  agree  in  the  main  throughout. 
Brother  Daniel  Miller  sends  a  copy  of  a  hymn  com- 
posed by  them  while  in  prison.  He  lives  near  Weyers 
Cave,  Augusta  Co.,  Va.  Bro.  J.  M.  Cline,  of  Knightly, 
Augusta  Co.,  Va.,  gives  a  complete  narrative  of  the 
first  company  as  follows: 

"  We  started  after  night  from  Brother  Jacob  Mil- 
ler's, and  rode  all  night.  On  the  next  day  we  came  to 
the  camp  of  the  pickets.  We  rode  on  as  unconcerned 
as  possible,  trusting  in  Providence ;  but  after  passing 
the  camp  about  a  mile  some  of  our  number  said,  "  Look 
out!  yonder  they  come  after  us.'  Wre  increased  our 
speed  a  little;  but  some  of  the  brethren  called  on  us 
to  stop,  as  a  number  of  the  party  could  not  ride  fast. 
So  we  all  checked  up,  except  one  or  two  that  rode  on 
and  got  away.  I  think  the  most  of  us  could  have 
gotten  away,  but  we  had  each  other's  welfare  at  heart. 
We  knew,  if  some  of  us  should  get  away,  it  would  only 
make  it  worse  for  the  rest.  We  were  then  in  sight  of 
Moorefield,  and  we  were  consulting  how  we  could  get 


HARDSHIPS    OF    CAPTIVES.  63 

through  the  place.  Some  thought  we  could  go  around 
through  the  mountains,  but  we  did  not  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  getting  into  or  around  Moorefield.  As  soon  as 
we  all  stopped,  more  of  the  pickets  came  up,  and  we 
were  taken  back  to  picket  camp  where  they  kept  us  till 
next  day.  In  the  evening  they  took  all  our  money  and 
everything  we  had  from  us.  Some  of  us  never  re- 
ceived anything  back,  while  I  believe  some  did. 

"  They  put  us  all  in  a  room,  where  we  lay  on  the 
floor  with  our  budgets  for  a  pillow.  But  we  had  wor- 
ship before  we  retired.  We  prayed  for  our  release, 
and  for  our  captors.  The  next  day  they  brought  us 
over  through  the  mountains  to  Woodstock.  They  let 
us  ride  on  our  own  horses,  and  at  different  places  we 
saw  chances  to  make  our  escape,  but  the  thought  was 
with  us  all  the  time  that  if  some  of  us  do  make  our 
escape,  it  will  only  make  it  harder  for  the  rest. 

"  At  last  we  got  to  Woodstock,  and  we  were  then  re- 
lieved of  our  horses,  saddles  and  bridles  for  good.  We 
could  see  them  from  our  prison  windows,  riding  our 
horses  around.  The  next  day  they  walked  us  up  to 
Mt.  Jackson  with  our  budgets  to  carry  the  best  way  we 
could.  At  Mt.  Jackson  they  put  us  into  a  large  upper 
room.  We  did  not  omit  having  worship,  and  some  of 
the  guards  were  seemingly  affected.  For  a  day  or  two 
this  was  our  lodging  place,  but  we  were  then  brought 
to  the  upper  end  of  town,  and  put  in  a  little  room  with 
guards  around  the  doors.  A  part  of  the  time  we  had 
to  go  nearly  up  to  the  river  where  there  was  a  large 
barn  to  load  wagons.  This  was  generally  after  night. 
Sometimes  two  or  three  guards  would  take  all  of  us, 
and  we  would  string  out  far  enough  that  they  could 


64  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

not  see  us  all.  They  would  call  to  us  to  keep  closer 
together,  but  we  often  got  far  enough  apart  to  get 
away,  if  we  had  tried  to  do  so. 

"  At  last  the  time  came  to  move  us  up  to  Harrison- 
burg.  They  marched  us  up  the  pike  to  the  Bethlehem 
church  without  anything  to  eat  that  day,  but  sometime 
in  the  night  they  got  us  something  to  eat.  The  next 
day  they  brought  us  up  to  Harrisonburg,  and  some  of 
us  nearly  gave  out  on  the  way.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Miller  had  charge  of  us  as  well  as  the  guards,  and  to 
show  his  authority,  he  would  every  now  and  then  say, 
'  Close  up  the  prisoners ! '  He  even  got  so  vicious  as 
to  command  the  soldiers  to  stick  them  with  the  bayonet. 
When  we  would  meet  any  person,  he  would  say, '  Close 
up  the  prisoners ! '  This  he  did  to  show  his  authority. 
But  he  came  to  a  bad  end  at  last.  I  think  he  never  did 
any  good. 

"  When  we  arrived  at  Harrisonburg,  we  had  the 
honor  of  having  our  home  for  about  two  weeks  in 
the  courthouse.  Here  we  were  fed  principally  by 
friends  who  brought  us  boxes  and  baskets  of  good 
things  to  eat.  After  we  were  there  a  few  days  we  all 
got  a  kind  of  epizootic  and  had  it  not  been  for  Brother 
John  Kline,  it  did  seem  that  we  could  not  have  lived. 
It  did  seem  that  the  Lord  had  him  to  come  there  to 
take  care  of  us.  As  a  physician  he  took  care  of  us  in 
our  sickness,  and  as  a  minister  he  preached  for  us 
several  times  at  night,  and  on  each  Sunday. 

"  They  had  us  working  also  in  Harrisonburg,  load- 
ing and  unloading  wagons.  Some  one  of  the  officers 
had  given  orders  to  the  soldiers  not  to  allow  anyone  to 
come  near  the  windows.  One  night  a  young  man  was 


OUR    RELEASE. 


f>5 


.    ,j,< 

standing  at  a  window,  but  was  not  doing  anything, 
when  'snap'  went  a  gun,  the  ball  just  missing'  him, 
going  on  up  through  the  ceiling  of  the  room,  filling  his 
face  and  eyes  full  of  glass. 

"  After  we  had  been  there  about  two  weeks,  my 
father  came  with  authority  from  the  government  for 
our  release.  He  and  Brother  Benjamin  Byerly  had 
gone  to  Richmond  and  got  Mr.  John  Baldwin,  of 
Staunton,  to  work  for  the  passage  of  a  bill  to  release 
our  people  from  military  service.  Mr.  Baldwin  in  his 
address  before  Confederate  Congress  stated  that  the 
Brethren  were  an  industrious  people,  that  they  would 
work  and  raise  grain  for  the  government,  but  they 
would  not  fight,  and  it  was  useless  to  force  them  into 
the  army.  He  got  a  law  passed  not  only  for  our  people, 
but  for  all  nonresistants." 

Knightly,  Augusta  Co.,  Va.,  Feb.  4,  1898. 

COMPANY  2,   CAPTURED   IN  WEST   VIRGINIA  AND  SENT 
TO    RICHMOND. 

Joseph  A.  Miller  was  born  near  Sangerville,  Augus- 
ta Co.,  Va.,  Nov.  29,  1825.  He  was  called  to  the  min- 
istry in  the  spring  of  1863,  and  his  labors  have  been 
principally  in  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia.  He 
was  at  the  Annual  Meeting,  which  was  held  at  Beaver 
Creek  church,  Va.,  in  1861.  He  lives  in  the  old  home 
where  he  was  born,  and  is  as  true  to  the  Bible,  and  the 
teaching  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Savior  of  men,  as  he 
has  been  to  the  place  of  his  nativity.  Strictly  consci- 
entious and  trustful  in  the  Lord  with  an  unwavering 
confidence,  his  interesting  narrative  of  the  second  com- 


&^  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

V^  '  .  V    -v_. 

pany  of  Brethren  arid  Mennonites  who  were  captured 
in  West  Virginia  is  worthy  of  careful  study  and  reflec- 
tion. His  narrative  is  as  follows : 

"  In  the  early  part  of  March,  1862,  having  been  in- 
formed that  all  the  men  subject  to  military  duty  would 
be  called  to  arms  in  a  very  few  days,  Brother  David  M. 
Miller  and  myself  concluded  to  do  something  to  keep 
out  of  the  war.  We  heard  of  some  Brethren  and  others 
intending  to  go  west,  and  we  made  preparations  to  go 
too,  being  hurried  by  our  wives,  who  feared  we  would 
be  arrested  and  taken  to  the  army  before  we  got 
started.  So  we  lost  no  time  in  preparation. 

"  After  traveling  about  twelve  miles,  we  fell  in  com- 
pany with  about  seventy  others — Brethren,  Mennon- 
ites and  others.  The  conclusion  among  us  was  to  cross 
the  line  to  West  Virginia.  So  with  the  Shenandoah 
Mountain  before  us,  we  proceeded,  going  part  of  the 
way  during  the  night.  The  next  day  we  traveled  on 
west,  and  the  next  night  we  lodged  at  a  friend's  house, 
resting  on  the  floor.  The  next  day  we  arrived  at  Pe- 
tersburg, W.  Va.  Now  a  good  many  persons  came  out 
to  see  us  cross  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac  River, 
it  being  fifty  yards  or  more  wide,  and  more  than  half 
our  company  were  on  foot,  so  that  in  crossing  some 
horses  had  to  go  three  trips  before  all  had  passed  over 
the  stream.  It  seemed  to  be  a  great  curiosity  for  the 
people  to  see  us  cross  the  Branch  and  to  go  through 
the  town. 

"  Soon  after  passing  this  place  came  the  trouble,  as 
we  then  thought,  but  it  seemed  that  the  good  Lord 
did  not  think  as  we  did ;  he  prepared  a  better  way  for 
our  escape  than  we  had  marked  out  for  ourselves. 


t; 

o 

fc 

ba 

c 

IS 
o 
o 


bfl 


68  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

After  going  through  Petersburg,  he  sent  two  men  to 
cause  a  halt  in  our  journey,  one  in  front,  and  one  in 
the  rear.  The  man  in  front  made  use  of  some  hard 
words,  but  the  man  in  the  rear  was  kind.  We  halted, 
and  at  their  solicitation  we  turned  back  to  Petersburg. 
They  took  us  into  a  large  upper  room  and  as  we  passed 
in  by  the  door  we  were  asked  individually  whether  we 
had  any  arms.  When  the  question  was  put  to  me,  I 
answered,  '  Yes.'  '  Let  us  see  it,'  said  he.  I  showed 
him  my  New  Testament,  the  Sword  of  the  Spirit.  He 
said,  '  That  is  very  good ;  you  can  keep  that.'  I  do  not 
think  there  were  any  arms  found  in  our  company,  ex- 
cept one  or  two  small  pistols,  and  they  were  not  with 
the  Brethren.  We  were  furnished  a  snack  for  dinner. 

"  One  brother  Mennonite,  who  had  talked  of  going 
back  before  we  got  to  Petersburg,  and  I  had  encour- 
aged him  to  go  on,  said  to  me,  '  What  are  you  going  to 
do  now  ?  '  I  replied,  '  Stand  still  and  see  the  salvation 
of  the  Lord.' 

"  My  brother,  D.  M.  Miller,  and  I  had  near  relatives 
in  Hampshire  county,  about  thirty  miles  further  on, 
and  we  expected  to  lodge  with  them  until  we  could  go 
back  home;  and  the  Lord  let  us  all  go  within  a  few 
miles  of  the  line  between  the  Northern  and  Southern 
armies,  then  turned  us  back  by  the  hand  of  two  men. 
How  good  he  is ;  but  we  could  not  see  it  at  that  time. 
We  wanted  to  go  on. 

"  We  were  next  ordered  to  leave  the  upper  room 
and  travel  south  towards  Franklin,  the  county  seat 
of  Pendleton  county,  West  Virginia.  We  were  guard- 
ed by  eight  or  ten  men.  Not  reaching  Franklin  that 


ON    TO    STAUNTON,    VA.  69 

day,  we  lodged  with  Mr.  Bond,  where  one  of  our  com- 
pany (not  a  brother)  got  away.  A  brother  and  my- 
self had  all  chances  to  get  away  that  night,  but  we  had 
no  desire  to  leave  the  brethren.  The  next  night  we 
lodged  in  the  court  house  in  Franklin,  sleeping  on  the 
floor,  and  guarded.  At  this  place,  six  or  seven  others, 
that  ha  $been  captured  as  we  were,  joined  our  number, 
making  $n  all  about  seventy-eight.  During  the  night, 
six  of  os  were  taken  out  one  at  a  time,  and  asked  where 
we  were  going,  and  the  reason  why.  We  told  them 
the  truth,  that  we  were  going  away  only  to  keep  from 
fighting,  that  it  was  contrary  to  our  faith,  and  contrary 
to  the  Gospel  to  fight  and  kill  our  fellow-man, — entirely 
wrong  to  do  so.  We  were  not  abused.  At  this  place 
one  brother  lost  his  horse  and  his  clothes. 

"  The  next  day  we  went  twenty-four  miles  te  Mon- 
terey, the  county  seat  of  Highland  county,  Virginia. 
Then  next  morning  we  started  for  Staunton,  Va.,  dis- 
tant fifty-two  miles.  We  had  a  barrel  of  crackers  and 
a  few  pieces  of  bacon  on  a  wagon.  It  took  us  two 
days  to  go  through  and  over  the  foothills  and  to  cross 
the  Shenandoah  Mountain;  and  while  we  were  going 
over  the  mountain,  one  brother  got  away.  In  going  up 
the  mountain  pathway  on  foot,  some  one  else  riding  my 
horse  along  the  main  road,  we  were  scattered  very 
much.  It  seems  that  the  guards  had  confidence  in  us. 
Brother  Cool  and  I  were  walking  together,  and  I  was 
showing  him  where  I  was  acquainted.  We  had  got 
so  much  scattered  that  no  one  was  in  sight  of  us  in 
front  or  rear.  Brother  Cool  said,  '  Let  us  slip.'  I  re- 
plied, '  I  do  not  feel  to  do  so.'  We  continued  on  the 


70  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

way  till  we  came  to  an  old  vacant  house  where  we 
lodged  for  the  night.  The  officer  of  the  guards  said, 
'  Gentlemen,  I  will  trust  to  your  honor  to-night.'  Then 
he  and  the  guards  went  away  about  half  a  mile  to  get 
their  lodging.  After  they  were  gone.  Brother  Thomp- 
son said  to  me,  '  Some  of  the  brethren  talk  about  run- 
ning off  to-night ;  what  do  you  think  about  it?  ;  I  said, 
'  I  do  not  like  that.'  Said  he,  '  Suppose  we  send  for 
the  guards?'  I  said,  'Do  so,'  and  they  were  soon 
there,  drew  us  into  line  and  counted  us.  They  had 
so  much  confidence  in  us  that  they  'thought  we  would 
stay  without  being  guarded,  but  Satan  might  have 
made  us  all  dishonest  that  night  had  we  not  been  watch- 
ful of  ourselves  and  on  our  guard. 

''  The  next  day  we  went  to  Staunton,  Augusta  Co., 
Va.,  and  lodged  in  the  courthouse.  We  got  plenty  to 
eat.  The  guards  were  overheard  saying,  '  Don't  tell 
them  that  they  have  to  go  to  Richmond  to-morrow ; 
they  will  not  sleep  well.'  It  would  have  disturbed  us 
some,  if  we  had  known  it ;  for  we  did  not  yet  know  that 
Richmond  was  the  place  the  Lord  had  directed  us 
to  go. 

"  In  the  morning  after  breakfast, .with  some  crackers 
in  our  pockets,  and  a  little  sadness  in  our  hearts,  we 
started  on  the  train  for  Richmond,  distant  120  miles, 
leaving  our  horses  and  saddles  in  the  care  of  some 
one  else.  We  were  all  day  and  part  of  the  night  on 
the  way  to  Richmond.  After  reaching  our  destination, 
we  were  put  into  a  large  room  in  a  machine  house  with 
a  small  stove.  There  was  about  three  yards  in  one 
corner  to  which  we  had  no  access.  The  officer  said, 
'  Gentlemen,  this  is  the  best  we  can  do  for  you  to-night ; 


JUDGE     BAXTER.  71 

make  yourselves  easy.'  This  was  the  most  unpleasant 
night  for  me  on  the  trip.  The  weather  being  cool,  with 
no  fire  and  no  bed,  some  of  us  walked  nearly  all  night. 
Next  morning  breakfast  came  about  9  o'clock,  but  it 
came  plentiful.  We  staid  in  that  house  one  night  only, 
then  we  were  moved  to  a  more  comfortable  house, 
and  furnished  with  bedding  and  provisions. 

"  In  a  day  or  two  twelve  of  us  were  taken  before 
Judge  Baxter,  and  he  said,  '  Gentlemen,  I  will  ask  you 
a  good  many  questions,  and  if  I  ask  any  that  you  can- 
not answer,  you  need  not  say  anything.'  He  then  asked 
many  questions  concerning  what  we  had  been  doing 
during  the  war,  and  whether  we  had  been  in  the  serv- 
ice. He  also  asked  us  whether  we  had  fed  the  soldiers 
and  their  families.  We  answered  all  his  questions  save 
one,  and  the  judge  was  kind  enough  to  answer  that 
for  us  ;  which  was,  '  Would  you  feed  the  enemy,  should 
he  come  to  your  house  ? '  He  said,  '  We  are  com- 
manded to  feed  our  enemies.'  This  was  a  correct  an- 
swer. Before  dismissing  us  the  judge  said  that  we 
would  be  sent  home  soon  to  work  on  our  farms. 

"  Just  at  this  time  the  Confederate  Congress  was  in 
session  in  Richmond,  and  some  of  the  members  of  Con- 
gress came  in  to  see  us.  Some  of  them  wanted  us  to 
volunteer  to  drive  teams;  but  we  told  them  we  left 
home  to  keep  out  of  the  war,  and  that  we  did  not  pro- 
pose to  go  into  the  army  service.  Others  wanted  to 
know  all  about  our  faith,  and  we  gave  them  all  the  in- 
formation about  our  religious  belief  that  we  could. 
They  also  found  out  that  twenty-five  of  our  people  were 
in  prison  in  Harrisonburg.who  had  been  arrested  as  we 
were,  and  that  many  others  had  gone  through  the  lines, 


72  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

and  we  were  told  they  got  the  question  up  in  Con- 
gress, '  What  would  we  better  do  with  these  men  ? 
They  raise  more  grain  to  the  hand  than  any  farmers 
we  have,  and  they  are  nearly  all  laboring  men,  and  we 
need  them  at  home  as  much  as  in  the  army.  Would  we 
not  better  make  some  provision  for  them,  or  they  will 
all  leave  the  country?  If  we  force  them  into  the  army, 
they  will  not  fight.' 

"  These  things  were  brought  to  us  in  the  guard- 
house. So  the  question  was  considered  in  Congress, 
and  they  reached  the  conclusion  to  lay  a  fine  on  us, 
and  send  us  home.  The  fine  was  fixed  at  five  hundred 
dollars  each.  This  may  look  like  a  large  sum,  but 
the  Brethren  at  home  soon  sent  the  money  to  us,  and 
we  paid  it,  and  went  home.  The  poor  brethren  as  well 
as  the  rich  had  their  fine  paid.  It  was  not  long  after 
that  till  a  good  horse  sold  for  a  thousand  dollars  which 
paid  two  fines.  This  fine  paid  in  1862  cleared  us  dur- 
ing the  war,  which  lasted  three  years  more. 

"  We  were  in  Richmond  thirty  days.  A  few  days 
before  we  left  Richmond,  six  of  us  were  taken  before 
Judge  Baxter  again.  He  treated  us  very  kindly,  and 
expressed  his  sore  regret  that  we  had  been  kept  there 
so  long,  when  we  should  have  been  at  home  on  our 
farms.  He  said  the  delay  was  on  account  of  the  press 
of  business,  and  that  we  would  soon  be  sent  home, 
which  came  to  pass.  We  were  joyfully  received  at 
home  by  our  families  and  the  brethren.  We  were  ab- 
sent from  home  in  all  thirty-seven  days.  Our  horses 
were  kept  in  Staunton  and  put  into  service,  but  we  re- 
ceived pay  for  them  from  the  government.  No  money 


ELD.    LEVI    A.    WENGER.  73 

was  taken  from  any  of  our  company,  and  upon  the 
whole  we  were  kindly  treated. 

"  We  think  the  Lord's  will  was  done  by  our  being 
captured  and  taken  to  Richmond  where  the  law-making 
body  was  assembled,  and  they  saw  that  we  were  de- 
termined to  hold  to  our  God-given  faith,  and  they 
could  say  nothing  against  it. 

"  Our  love  to  all  who  read  this.  D.  H. 

"  Sangerville,  Augusta  Co.,  Va. 

"  December,  1897." 

REFLECTIONS  ON  THE  FOREGOING..? 

The  Hon.  Algernon  S.  Gray,  member  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Convention  of  1861,  and  present  when  the  Con- 
federate Congress  in  Richmond,  Va.,  passed  the  law  to 
exempt  from  all  military  service  members  of  such  re- 
ligious bodies  as  held  what  are  called  nonresistant 
principles,  was  heard  to  say  that  the  capture  of  the 
seventy  refugees  near  Petersburg,  W.  Va.,  by  two 
individuals,  with  their  quiet  submission  to  authority 
all  the  way,  did  more  to  impress  the  members  of  that 
Congress  than  all  the  other  influences  together. 

BENJAMIN  FUNK. 

ELDER  LEVI  A.  WENGER, 
AUGUSTA   COUNTY,  VIRGINIA. 

Levi  A.  Wenger  was  born  November  9,  1841,  and 
died  at  his  home  near  Mt.  Sidney,  Va.,  March  28, 
1902.  He  united  with  the  church  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  married  Mary  M.  Miller,  oldest  daughter 
of  Elder  John  Miller,  of  Pleasant  Valley  congregation, 


ELD.     LEVI    A.     WENGER.  75 

in  the  year  1866,  was  elected  to  the  ministry,  April 
13,  1870,  and  was  ordained  to  the  eldership  in  1881. 

Brother  Wenger  was  a  man  of  excellent  qualities 
and  always  true  and  faithful  to  the  principles  of  the 
church.  He  was  a  friend  to  our  educational  institu- 
tions and  a  strong  advocate  of  the  mission  work  of 
the  church,  and  to  both  contributed  with  a  liberal 
hand.  It  is  due  to  his  untiring  efforts  and  liberality 
that  the  members  in  the  city  of  Staunton,  Va.,  have 
a  commodious  house  of  worship  to-day.  He  was  a 
man  of  rare  executive  ability,  and,  because  of  his  un- 
swerving fidelity  to  duty,  frequently  represented  the 
Second  District  of  Virginia  on  Standing  Committee 
at  Annual  Meeting.  He  was  appointed  by  that  body 
on  several  important  committees  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  was,  and  had  been  for  several  years,  serving 
on  a  committee  to  the  churches  of  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. Brother  Wenger  was  a  man  of  moderate 
education,  but  he  delivered  short  and  pithy  sermons 
in  an  earnest  and  pathetic  style  that  will  be  remem- 
bered for  years  by  those  who  heard  him. 

His  home  life  and  influence  were  so  pure  and  far 
reaching  that  his  neighbors  were  constrained  to  say, 
"  Whatever  Mr.  Wenger  does  is  right  " — a  beautiful 
example  for  all  to  imitate. 

He  leaves  a  sorrowing  wife,  to  whom  he  was  an 
affectionate  husband,  and  two  sons  to  whom  he  was  a 
father  indeed,  to  mourn  their  loss.  While  the  church 
has  lost  a  wise  and  safe  counselor,  yet  we  feel  to  bow 
in  humble  submission  to  God's  holy  will, — "  He 
knoweth  best."  The  funeral  took  place  on  Easter 
Sunday  at  the  Pleasant  Valley  church  and  was  con- 


76  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

ducted  by  the  writer  from  Phil.  1:21,  at  his  request, 
and  the  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  graveyard  at 
that  place,  a  large  concourse  of  sympathizing  friends 
being  in  attendance. — D.  C.  Flory,  New  Hope,  Va. 

The  following  from  Brother  Wenger's  pen,  written 
December  13,  1897,  will  close  our  account  of  the 
WESTERN  MOVEMENT,  and  we  give  it  as  an  instance 
of  how  some  got  through  the  lines  to  the  West,  where 
they  remained  till  the  close  of  the  war: 

"  On  the  night  of  the  20th  of  January,  1864,  I  bade 
farewell  to  a  weeping  mother  and  other  loved  friends 
at  the  home  of  my  childhood,  to  seek  a  refuge  in 
another  country  with  no  other  weapon  than  a  little 
pocket  Testament.  The  fact  that  my  father  had  fur- 
nished a  substitute  for  each  of  his  two  sons  for  the 
war  was  no  longer  regarded,  so,  in  company  with  an 
older  brother  of  mine,  M.  H.  Wenger,  we  traveled 
about  sixteen  miles  on  horseback,  and  arrived  at  the 
house  of  Jacob  Shank,  near  Harrisonburg,  Va.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Mennonite  church  and  father-in- 
law  of  brother  M.  H.  Wenger.  We  were  kindly 
received  and  cared  for  until  the  evening.  We  were 
then  directed  to  the  home  of  a  United  Brethren 
minister  by  the  name  of  S-wank,  at  Hopkins'  Gap. 
Here  we  were  informed  where  to  meet  a  man  by  the 
name  of  John  Riley,  who  served  as  pilot  across  the 
mountains.  After  reaching  this  place  our  number 
had  increased  to  nineteen.  On  the  evening  of  the 
21st,  our  pilot  called  us  in  line  and  demanded  a  fee 
of  twenty  dollars  apiece  in  Confederate  money,  and 
being  assured  that  we  were  all  true  men,  he  gave 
us  instructions,  and  we  followed  him  on  foot  across 


INCIDENTS    ON    THE    WAY.  77 

a  rugged  mountain  to  the  home  of  our  pilot  and  were 
entertained  by  him  until  morning.  He  then  started 
with  us  again,  traveling  hard  all  day  through  brushy 
mountains  and  ravines,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles. 
The  next  day  he  turned  us  over  to  another  pilot  by 
the  name  of  Leonard  Mitchel,  who  accompanied  us  to 
Petersburg,  W.  Va.  While  under  his  care  the  weather 
being  mild,  some  of  our  company  took  off  their  over- 
coats and  carried  them  on  sticks  across  their  shoulders 
which  gave  us  somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  squad 
of  Confederate  soldiers.  While  traveling  in  that  way 
we  discovered  a  man  going  up  the  mountain  with  a 
quick  step,  having  a  gun  on  his  shoulder.  Our 
pilot  called  to  him  and  invited  him  to  come  to  us, 
but  he  would  not  until  one  of  our  company  went  to 
him.  He  then  came  and  told  us  that  he  belonged 
to  the  Swamp  Dragoons  and  thought  we  were  Con- 
federates, and  his  intention  was  to  notify  his  com- 
rades and  attack  us  farther  on. 

"  The  same  evening  we  reached  Petersburg,  W.  Va., 
where  there  was  an  army  of  Union  soldiers  stationed, 
who  took  us  in  charge  until  their  train  of  wagons 
should  return  from  New  Creek,  now  called  Keyser, 
a  station  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad.  But 
instead  of  said  train  of  wagons  returning  it  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Confederate  army.  This  caused  the 
Union  army  to  retreat  from  Petersburg  on  account 
of  being  short  of  supplies.  We  had  now  been  about 
a  week  at  Petersburg,  and  our  company  of  refugees 
had  increased  to  the  number  of  sixty-three. 

"  From  Petersburg  to  New  Creek  Station  we  had 
a  laborious  march,  almost  constant  for  several  days 


78  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

and  nights,  through  rain  and  mud  with  little  to  eat 
and  little  time  to  sleep.  We  arrived  at  the  station 
on  the  evening  of  February  the  1st,  when  our  com- 
pany took  passage  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road for  the  "West.  I  remained  at  Bremen  and  other 
points  in  Ohio  the  greater  part  of  the  time  till  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  I  returned  to  my  home  in 
Augusta  county,  Virginia,  September  2nd,  1865." 

D.  H. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  WAR  BE- 
TWEEN THE  STATES 

THE  writer  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Shenan- 
doah  Valley,  Virginia,  and  although  only  twelve  years 
old  when  the  war  began,  I  well  remember  many  of 
the  stirring  and  trying  events  of  that  dreadful  war. 

The  first  call  for  Southern  volunteers  was  made 
early  in  the  spring  of  1861.  In  July  of  the  same  year 
a  second  call  was  made,  at  which  time  .all  men  of 
military  age  were  required  to  report 'at  the  county 
towns  of  their  respective  counties,  especially  in  Vir- 
ginia. Many  of  the  married  men,  and  all  the  single 
men,  in  our  community  volunteered  to  enter  the  Con- 
federate service,  except  two,  one  of  whom  was  my 
oldest  brother. 

My  brother  failed  to  respond  to  this  call,  and  in 
a  few  days  several  provost  marshals  were  sent  to 
bring  him  to  Staunton,  "dead  or  alive";  but  they 
failed  to  find  him. 

In  the  spring  of  1862  all  able-bodied  men  of  military 


S.  F.  Sanger. 


80  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

age,  from  eighteen  to  forty-five  years  of  age,  were 
drafted  for  service;  this  draft  being  anticipated,  a 
number  of  our  Brethren,  Mennonites  and  others,  not 
in  favor  of  war,  escaped  to  the  Northern  States. 
During  this  exodus  a  number  of  these  noncombatants 
were  captured  in  their  attempt  to  escape  military 
service,  one  band  of  seventy-two  persons  near  Peters- 
burg, now  West  Virginia.  These  were  conducted  to 
Staunton,  Va. 

Among  these  captives  was  my  oldest  brother,  David, 
and  a  brother-in-law,  Benjamin  Miller,  now  living  at 
Madison,  Kansas.  I  well  remember  the  last  night  they 
spent  at  home  before  starting  on  this  eventful  journey. 
Brother  Joseph  A.  Miller,  a  near  neighbor,  called  to 
spend  a  short  time  with  us  that  evening.  After  con- 
siderable conversation,  reading  of  Scripture,  singing 
and  prayer,  they  departed,  singing  as  a  parting  hymn 
the  last  three  stanzas  of  number  204  of  our  present 
Hymn  Book,  a  part  of  which  is  as  follows: 

"  Our  troubles  and  our  trials  here 

Will  only  make  us  richer  there, 

When  we  arrive  at  home." 

These  words  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my 
young  and  tender  heart,  especially  in  connection  with 
the  parting. 

After  leaving  home  we  heard  nothing  further 
from  them  for  a  week  or  ten  days;  when  in  the  still 
hours  of  night  I  heard  my  brother's  voice,  with  the 
older  members  of  the  family,  in  another  room,  talking 
in  a  low  tone.  On  rising  in  the  early  morning  eager 
to  learn  the  cause  of  my  brother's  presence,  I  asked, 
"  Where  is  David  ?  "  I  soon  saw  by  the  countenances 


SAD     NEWS     OF     CAPTURE.  81 

of  the  family  that  sad  news  had  been  broken  to  them. 
My  sisters  were  weeping  and  with  a  full  heart  my  dear 
old  mother  broke  to  me  the  sad  news  and  charged 
me  strictly  not  to  inform  any  one  of  my  brother's  being 
at  home. 

The  sad  news  of  their  capture  was  soon  communi- 
cated to  the  families  of  those  who  were  in  captivity. 
My  brother  succeeded  in  making  his  escape  while 
passing  through  the  mountains,  en  route  from  Peters- 
burg to  Staunton,  and  walked  home  the  same  night, 
a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  miles,  mostly  through 
the  mountains,  often  without  road  or  path. 

It  was  soon  known  that  the  captives  would  be  taken 
from  Staunton  to  Richmond,  Va.  Fears  were  enter- 
tained that  they  would  be  put  to  death  for  attempting 
to  escape  military  service,  which  caused  no  little 
sorrow  and  distress  among  their  friends. 

Richmond  was  then  the  Confederate  capital,  where 
Congress  was  in  session.  The  captives  were  put  into 
the  famous  prison  called  "  Castle  Thunder,"  almost 
in  sight  of  Congress  Hall.  This  was  an  old  tobacco 
warehouse,  with  heavy  brick  walls,  small  windows, 
securely  barred,  and  very  unsanitary,  as  well  as  un- 
inviting, where  for  six  long  weeks  our  brethren  were 
made  to  suffer  for  the  faith  they  had  in  the  blessed 
Christ  and  his  Word.  At  the  same  time  another  band 
were  imprisoned  in  Harrisonburg,  in  the  old  court- 
house. Among  this  number  were  Elder  John  Kline 
and  Gabriel  Heatwole. 

The  brethren  in  Richmond  were  treated  more 
considerately  by  their  guards  and  prison  officials  than 
were  those  in  Harrisonburg. 


82  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

Letters  were  allowed  to  pass  in  and  out  of  prison, 
bearing  messages  both  sad  and  cheerful,  owing  to  the 
mood  of  the  writer.  I  remember  well  how  my  sister 
was  depressed  on  receiving  letters  from  her  husband. 

The  church  soon  became  aroused,  as  never  before 
or  since,  in  my  recollection ;  council  meetings  were 
called,  measures  were  adopted  to  give  relief  to  the 
imprisoned  brethren.  The  Confederate  Congress  was 
petitioned  in  their  behalf.  Through  the  efforts  and 
kindness  of  Hon.  John  B.  Baldwin,  from  Stauntori, 
Va.,  a  measure  was  soon  introduced  into  congress, 
and,  after  much  discussion  and  investigation,  was 
passed.  This  bill  was  known  as  the  "  Exemption 
Act,"  which  permitted  our  Brethren,  Mennonites  and 
Friends,  because  of  their  conscientious  scruples  on 
the  question  of  war,  to  be  exempt  from  military  duty, 
by  paying  a  fine  of  $500.  On  the  passage  of  this 
Act  of  Congress,  special  council  meetings  were  called 
to  provide  funds  to  pay  the  fines  of  the  poor  brethren, 
who  were  unable  to  pay  this  heavy  tax.  Great  liber- 
ality was  shown  in  the  raising  of  this  fund,  as 
evidenced  by  one  of  the  original  subscription  papers  in 
my  possession.  As  soon  as  sufficient  funds  were 
secured,  a  committee  was  sent  to  Richmond,  the  re- 
demption money  was  paid  and  the  release  of  these 
imprisoned  brethren  was  obtained  as  well  as  those 
imprisoned  in  Harrisonburg.  Great  joy  was  ex- 
perienced throughout  the  churches  in  the  South  on 
their  release. 

This  exemption  was  secured  during  the  remainder 
of  the  war,  not  only  for  those  imprisoned,  but  was 


HARDSHIPS    EXPERIENCED.  OO 

extended  to  all  those  who  were  opposed  to  bearing 
arms — the  Mennonites,  Friends  and  Brethren. 

The  Brethren  had  so  little  literature  on  their  non- 
resistant  principles  that  it  was  difficult  to  establish 
their  faith  before  the  Confederate  Congress ;  perhaps 
the  strongest  argument  in  their  favor  was  the  fact 
that  they  would  not  participate  in  the  annual 
"  muster "  of  the  militia,  as  was  required  by  the 
laws  of  Virginia.  They  always  paid  their  fines,  as 
provided  by  law,  which  exempted  them  from  this 
duty. 

I  remember  passing  the  "  muster "  grounds  when 
the  volunteers  and  militia  were  "  mustering " :  the 
glittering  swords,  guns  with  fixed  bayonets,  as  well 
as  the  grim  cannon  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my 
mind. 

This  prison  life  was  not  the  only  unpleasant  ex- 
perience our  brethren  endured.  A  feeling  of  jealousy, 
often  extending  to  animosity,  was  aroused  in  their 
neighbors,  because  of  their  exemption  from  military 
service.  This  led  to  indignities,  abuses  and  the  stealing 
of  their  stock  by'  individuals,  and  the  forage  masters 
of  the  army  were  especially  severe  on  them,  scarcely 
allowing  sufficient  grain  and  provender  for  their  sup- 
port. 

In  1864  a  regiment  of  Confederate  soldiers  en- 
camped on  father's  farm  for  about  six  weeks.  It 
soon  became  known  that  father  was  an  anti-war  man 
and  the  soldiers  challenged  him  for  a  discussion  of  the 
question,  "  Has  a  Christian  the  right  to  use  carnal 
weapons  ?  "  My  father  very  reluctantly  accepted  the 
challenge,  not  knowing  what  the  result  would  be, 


84  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

or  even  the  purpose  of  the  discussion.  After  being 
urged  for  a  discussion  by  the  soldiers,  he  consented, 
but  first  secured  a  promise  from  them  that  they  would 
not  become  angry.  The  discussion  took  place  in  the 
open  yard,  with  a  dozen  or  more  soldiers  as  specta- 
tors. Father  was  slow  of  speech,  but  well  versed 
in  the  Scriptures.  The  discussion  lasted  nearly  an 
hour  and  I  heard  most  of  it.  During  the  discussion 
father  quoted  Isaiah  2 : 4,  "And  they  shall  beat  their 
swords  into  plowshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning 
hooks :  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more,"  when  a  private 
soldier,  in  a  low  but  earnest  tone  said,  "  I  wish  that 
time  was  here  now."  The  leader  in  the  discussion 
was  a  minor  officer,  fairly  well  versed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  discussion  was  earnest,  but  pleasant,  and 
at  its  conclusion  the  soldiers  said,  "  Well,  sergeant, 
the  Dutchman  beat  you,"  and  they  dispersed. 

The  remarkable  fact,  and  one  worthy  to  be  recorded 
is,  that  very  few  brethren  denied  the  faith  and  entered 
the  military  service. 

I  remember  only  one  who  went  into  the  army,  as 
a  volunteer,  and  he,  poor  fellow,  never  returned.  I 
wish  to  note  this  faithfulness,  even  when  they  were 
threatened  with  imprisonment,  and  in  some  instances 
life  was  even  threatened.  More  especially  do  I  wish 
to  impress  this  in  order  to  strengthen  those  who  may 
yet  be  called  upon  to  endure  persecution  for  the  sake 
of  the  "  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints."  So  often 
it  is  said  that  Christians  of  the  present  age  would  not 
endure  persecution,  as  did  the  early  Christians.  I 
am  fully  convinced  that  God  will  give  sufficient  grace 


ARRESTS    AND    SEPARATIONS.  85 

to  enable  us  to  endure  persecutions,  even  unto  death, 
when  necessary. 

During  this  cruel  war  a  number  of  brethren  sought 
refuge  in  the  Northern  States ;  leaving  parents, 
brothers,  sisters,  often  wives  and  children,  rather 
than  to  take  up  arms  against  their  fellow-man.  Many 
tears  and  heartaches  of  that  period  are  known  only  to 
our  God.  My  two  brothers,  older  than  I,  with  many 
others  left  home,  and  I  know  personally  the  sadness 
which  followed  these  separations. 

A  number  of  brethren  were  arrested,  and  their  lives 
threatened  for  aiding  those  who  were  attempting  to 
escape  to  the  Northern  States.  Elder  Jacob  Thomas, 
who  is  yet  living,  was  arrested  for  this  cause  and 
taken  to  Harrisonburg.  His  brother,  Daniel  Thomas, 
accompanied  him,  pleaded  his  cause  before  the  military 
court  and  obtained  his  release.  It  was  stated,  and 
truthfully,  that  our  brethren  turned  none  away,  but 
fed  soldiers  of  either  army,  as  well  as  our  friends  and 
brethren. 

Our  brethren  were  not  active  in  politics,  many  of 
them,  however,  were  opposed  to  seceding  from  the 
Union,  as  well  as  the  war  that  followed. 

Many  of  the  brethren  lost  much  of  their  property 
during  this  war,  from  which  some  never  recovered, 
and  realized-  the  meaning  of  the  text,  "  They  that  buy 
as  though  they  possessed  not,  as  having  nothing  and 
yet  possessing  all  things."  S.  F.  SANGER. 


S6  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

THE   BRETHREN  IN  TENNESSEE  DUR- 
ING THE  CIVIL  WAR,  1861-5 

ELD.  P.  R.  WRIGHTSMAX. 

PETER  R.  WRIGHTSMAN,  who  wrote  the  'following 
account  of  the  trials  of  the  Brethren  in  'Tennessee 
during  the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Virginia,  May  16,  1834.  His  father,  Daniel 
Wrightsman,  moved  to  Limestone,  Washington 
county,  Tennessee,  when  Peter  R.  was  seventeen  years 
old.  He  united  with  the  church  in  1857  and  was 
elected  to  the  ministry  in  1860.  He  was  educated  at 
the  Laurel  Hill  Seminary,  in  East  Tennessee.  In 
October,  1867,  he  was  married  to  sister  Elizabeth 
Witter,  at  South  Bend,  Ind.,  and  in  1868  he  graduated 
at  the  Eclectic  Medical  College  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Erom  Cincinnati  he  went  to  .  Dayton,-  Ohio,  and 
in  1871  he  moved  to  South  Bend,  Ind.,  and  about 
four  years  later  he  was  ordained  to  the  eldership  in 
the  Portage  congregation,  near  South  Bend.  In  1880 
he  moved  to  Kansas  for  his  health;  and  for  the  bene- 
fit of  a  warmer  climate  he  went  to  Atlanta,  Georgia, 
in  1894.  In  1901  he  went  to  Saginaw,  Texas,  where 
he  now  has  charge  of  the  Saginaw  church,  and  is  also 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 

In  1865  Brother  Wrightsman  attended  the  Annual 
Meeting  at  Dixon,  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and  by  in- 
vitation he  followed  Brother  D.  P.  Sayler,  with  an 
impressive  discourse  concerning  the  trials  of  the 
Brethren  in  Tennessee  during  the  Civil  War,  which 
had  then  just  closed. 


Eld.  P.  R.  Wrightsman. 


88  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

"  Being  a  minister  as  well  as  physician,  my  business 
called  me  over  considerable  territory.  In  the  spring 
of  1862  Southern  soldiers  came  to  my  house  searching 
for  firearms,  none  of  which  I  kept  except  a  plantation 
rifle.  This  they  took  without  pay.  They  came  from 
time  to  time  for  three  years  and  took  my  crops  and 
horses.  When  the  soldiers  came  for  the  last  horse 
they  rode  up  with  threats  and  curses.  Their  language 
and  manner  impressed  me  that  they  came  with  intent 
to  kill  me.  Part  of  the  squad  went  to  the  field  for 
the  last  horse  and  part  remained  with  me  under  their 
charge.  I  just  stepped  inside  the  stable,  stood  with 
my  hands  upwards,  and  prayed  to  my  heavenly  Father, 
saying,  '  Dear  Father,  save  me  from  these  men.  Have 
mercy  upon  them,  and  turn  them  from  their  evil 
course,  and  save  thy  servant/ 

"  I  never  exercised  stronger  faith  in  prayer  than 
at  that  time.  It  seemed  as  if  I  was  speaking  face  to 
face  with  my  blessed  Lord.  When  I  stepped  out  to 
the  soldiers  I  felt  that  God  had  answered  my  prayer, 
for  I  felt  I  could  see  the  Satanic  look  going  down 
out  of  their  faces  like  the  shadow  of  a  cloud  before 
the  bright  sunlight. 

"  The  soldiers  then  said  to  me,  '  Mr.  Wrightsman, 
can  we  get  some  bread  ? '  '  O  yes/  said  I,  '  we  arc 
commanded  to  feed  the  hungry/  I  went  at  once  to 
the  kitchen  and  requested  my  sisters  to  cut  off  a  large 
slice  of  bread,  and  butter  it  for  each  one  of  them. 
They  did  so  and  I  took  it  out  into  the  yard  and  handed 
a  slice  to  each.  They  thanked  me  for  the  bread,  bowed 
their  heads,  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  away, 
taking  my  last  horse  with  them,  however.  Feeling 


RELEASED    FROM     SERVICE.  6^ 

sure  the  Lord  had  saved  my  life,  I  felt  happy, '  thanked 
God  and  took  courage.'  This  occurred  in  the  summer 
of  1863." 

In  1864,  Brother  Wrightsman  was  conscripted,  and 
Brother  Nathan  Nelson  was  arrested  under  a  false 
charge ;  and  it  was  only  through  the  intervention  of 
our  heavenly  Father  and  the  assistance  of  friends  that 
they  were  saved  from  prison  and  perhaps  death. 

"  In  framing  an  Act  for  the  relief  of  nonresistants, 
the  Confederate  Government,  upon  the  payment  of 
a  tax  of  $500  each  into  the  public  treasury,  relieved 
our  Brethren  for  the  time ;  but  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  war  when  the  South  needed  all  the  men  in  her 
borders,  the  local  authorities  arrested  many  of  our 
Brethren  and  shut  them  up  in  prison  and  in  the  stock- 
ades in  various  places,  even  after  they  had  paid  the 
$500  penalty.  This  very  much  tried  our  Brethren  in 
East  Tennessee.  So  a  council  meeting  was  called  at 
Limestone  church,  and  a  petition  was  drawn  up  to 
send  to  the  Confederate  Congress,  asking  that  our 
brethren  be  released  from  military  service,  as  we 
were  and  always  had  been  opposed  to  bearing  arms. 
Nearly  all  the  members  of  our  church  signed  the 
petition.  It  then  became  a  matter  of  anxious  con- 
cern who  would  carry  this  petition  to  Congress  and 
represent  our  claims.  All  our  older  brethren  shrank 
from  going  to  Richmond  where  Congress  was  in 
session.  I  was  away  at  school ;  yet  it  was  decided  to 
send  me  though  a  youth  as  I  was.  The  deacon 
brethren  came  to  see  .me  and  to  report  their  mission. 
I  regretted  to  leave  school  and  pleaded  with  them  that 
older  brethren  should  go,  but  they  replied  that  it  was 


90  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

the  act  of  the  church.  I  replied  that  I  was  willing 
to  do  anything  in  my  power  for  my  brethren  in  prison. 
'If  you  and  the  church  will  aid  me  in  your  prayers, 
I  will  go.' 

"  Accordingly  I  prepared  myself  with  provisions 
for  the  journey  and  started  from  Limestone  depot.  I 
had  not  traveled  far  until  a  minister  came  on  the 
train.  I  believe  he  was  from  North  Carolina.  After 
leaving  Jonesboro,  he  came  and  sat  down  on  the 
same  seat  with  me.  So  far  as  I  could  see  we  were 
the  only  civilians  on  the  train,  the  remainder  were  all 
soldiers.  He  asked  me  if  I  were  a  minister,  and  I 
replied  that  I -was.  He  then' asked  me  to  what  church 
I  belonged,  our  faith  and  practice,  to  which  I  replied. 
When  I  mentioned  the  fact  that  we  were  a  peaceable 
people  and  opposed  going  to  war,  he  said,  '  Do  you 
not  think  we  all  ought  to  fight  for  our  glorious  Con- 
federacy?' I  replied  that  Christ  taught  us  not  to 
resist  evil.  '  Yes,'  said  he,  '  but  this  war  is  an  excep- 
tion. I  replied,  '  Christ  made  no  exceptions,  but  says, 
Love  your  enemies  ;  bless  them  that  curse  you  ;  pray  for 
them  that  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you.' 

"  Failing  in  this  he  tried  another  line  of  reasoning: 
'  Do  you  not  believe  General  Washington  was  a  good 
man ;  and  that  God  used  him  to  set  up  this  govern- 
ment? ' 

'  Now,'  said  I,  in  return,  '  do  you  believe  God 
used  General  Washington  to  set  up  this  government? ' 
"'Yes,'  he  replied. 

'  Then  what  do  you  think  God  will  do  with  you 
for  trying  to  tear  down  what  he  built  up  ?' . 


PETITION      PRESENTED.  91 

"  He  never  answered  me,  but  arose  and  went  into 
another  car. 

"  During  our  conversation  the  soldiers  were  all 
around  eagerly  listening.  But  when  I  put  my  last 
question  to  him  some  of  the  soldiers  made  some 
.threats;  but  I  felt  the  Lord  was  with  me.  I  was  not 
in  the  least  alarmed,  and  continued  my  journey  with- 
out further  interruption. 

"At  the  proper  time  I  went  to  the  House  of  the 
Confederate  Congress,  presented  my  petition  and 
made  my  plea,  stating  among  other  things  that  our 
people  were  always  a  peace  people ;  it  is  no  use  to 
take  them  to  the  army,  for  they  will  not  fight.  They 
would  be  just  in  your  way.  They  are  the  best  sub- 
jects in  your  government,  for  they  stay  at  home 
and  mind  their  own  business.  They  are  mostly  farm- 
ers, raise  grain  and  your  men  come  and  take  it.  In 
this  way  we  feed  the  hungry.  Our  people  never  molest 
your  men,  but  are  loyal  and  law-abiding  citizens.  If 
you  will  let  us  stay  at  home,  we  will  be  loyal  citizens 
to  the  powers  that  are  over  us.  We  humbly  plead  for 
your  acceptance  of  our  petition.' 

"  Alexander  H.  Stephens  was  then  consulted ;  and 
finally  my  petition  was  accepted,  and  officially  en- 
dorsed with  the  word  'GRANTED.' 

"With  a  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude  to  our 
dear  heavenly  Father,  I  came  on  to  my  home  at  Lime- 
stone, Tenn.  Brother  M.  M.  Bashor  met  me  at  the 
depot  and  urged  me  to  continue  on  to  Knoxville  on 
the  same  train,  as  some  of  our  brethren  had  been  taken 
off  while  I  was  at  Richmond.  So  I  continued  my 
journey  eighty-four  miles  further  to  Knoxville.  I 


92  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE, 

went  to  see  Col.  E.  D.  Blake,  commander  of  con- 
scripts and  prisoners  and  showed  him  my  papers. 
With  an  uncouth  remark  he  told  me  to  go  out  to  the 
stockade  and  get  my  men.  I  went,  entered  the  stock- 
ade, and  got  my  brethren  out  of  prison.  We  all  went 
home  like  happy  children.  This  was  in  the  summer 
of  1863. 

In  the  autumn  of  1864,  our  church  at  Limestone, 
Tenn.,  had  prepared  to  hold  a  love  feast,  as  all  seemed 
to  be  quiet  just  at  that  time.  So  on  the  fourth  Satur- 
day in  September  we  started  for  the  church  with  pro- 
vision necessary  to  hold  the  meeting.  But,  behold! 
there  on  our  grounds  around  and  near  the  church,  was 
a  regiment  of  soldiers.  Many  of  our  members  were 
frightened,  and  some  of  them  urged  the  dismissal  of 
the  meeting.  I  told  them,  '  No,  let  us  go  on  with  the 
meeting.  Perhaps  the  Lord  has  sent  them  to  this 
place  to  hear  the  Gospel.'  This  delayed  our  decision. 
In  the  meantime  the  colonel  heard  of  our  dilemma  and 
at  once  sent  us  word  to  go  on  with  our  meeting,  that 
nothing  should  be  molested,  but  that  we  should  be 
protected.  So  we  went  on  with  the  services,  invited 
the  soldiers  into  the  church  and  our  house  was  crowded. 
It  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  love  feasts  that  I  ever 
attended, — the  best  of  order  and  attention  prevailed. 
Not  a  thing  was  molested,  all  behaved  well,  and  many 
requests  were  made  for  us  to  come  to  their  part  of 
the  country  after  the  war  and  preach  for  them.  But, 
alas!  many  of  those  poor  men  mo  doubt  fell  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

"  Thank  God  for  the  Brethren  church  whose  motto 
is, '  Peace  on  earth,  good  will  toward  men,' — who  have 


ELDER     GEORGE     C.     BOWMAN.  93 

all  been  born  of  the  same  Spirit,  and  walk  by  the  same 
rule,  and  mind  the  same  thing.' 

"  Written  by  request  of  our  Missionary  Board,  and 
sent  to  Brother  S.  F.  Sanger.  D.  H. 

"Atlanta,  Georgia,  Jan.  7,  1898." 

ELDER  GEORGE  C.   BOWMAN, 
OF   TENNESSEE. 

GEORGE  C.  BOWMAN  was  born  Feb.  10,  1832,  on 
Boone's  Creek,  in  Washington  county,  Tennessee. 
His  father,  Samuel  Bowman,  emigrated  from  the 
Valley  of  Virginia  with  his  parents.  He  was  married 
to  Annie  Crouch  in  1830,  and  my  father,  George  C., 
was  their  firstborn.  Two  physicians  decided  his  life 
must  be  taken  before  birth  ;  but  it  was  finally  concluded 
to  call  D,r.  Sevier,  the  leading  physician  of  the  State, 
and  through  his  skill  the  child's  life  was  saved.  After 
resuscitation,  Dr.  Sevier  lectured  the  physicians  on 
the  sanctity  of  human  life,  saying,  "  they  did  not  know 
what  grand  work  God  may  have  destined  for  him." 

His  educational  advantages  were  limited.  It  was 
our  custom  to  call  the  family  Testament  father's  dic- 
tionary, as  he  referred  to  it  in  writing  his  letters, 
saying  it  saved  time.  He  was  an  earnest  student  of 
the  Bible. 

He  was  married  to  Annie  M.  Hylton,  daughter  of 
Austin  Hylton,  of  Floyd  county,  Virginia,  Feb.  11, 
1860.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  Elder  D.  P.  Sayler, , 
of  Maryland,  visited  the  churches  in  Tennessee,  and 
father  and  mother  were  baptized.  The  year  following 
he  was  elected  to  the  ministry.  I  can  think  of  no  other 


94  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

word  but  faithfulness  that  represents  his  devotedness 
to  the  ministry  of  the  Word.  I  remember  but  one 
appointment  that  he  failed  to  attend.  It  was  a  long 
distance  to  the  place  of  meeting,  and  the  mercury 
registered  twenty  degrees  below  zero.  I  well  remem- 
ber his  restlessness  that  day.  I  often  wondered  when 
father  would  come  home  from  a  long  trip,  when  he 
hunted  up  the  isolated  places,  preaching  here  and  there, 
and  on  his  return  at  last  reporting  but  a  few  baptized. 
I  wondered  whether  he  was  not  at  times  disheartened  ; 
but  I  heard  no  word  of  murmur,  though  he  seemed 
almost  worn  out.  lie  had  narrow  escapes  in  the  years 
of  war,  as  well  as  other  members  of  the  church. 

My  father  was  a  man  of  self-control ;  under  indig- 
nities, private  and  public,  he  opened  not  his  mouth.  I 
remember  a  criticism  appearing  in  the  press,  that 
seemed  to  me,  then,  to  be  unkind.  We  knew  not  for 
years  that  he  had  ever  read  it. 

He  was  often  sent  as  a  delegate  to  Annual  Meeting. 
I  have  heard  others  say  that  he  was  safe  in  counsel, 
always  for  peace  on  conservative  grounds.  His  life- 
work  was  given  to  the  land  of  his  birth — the  South. 
Many  of  the  isolated  still  bless  his  memory. 

He  had  nine  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  five 
are  living.  Our  mother  died  suddenly  while  he  was 
from  home  in  1886.  He  was  stricken  down  under  his 
bereavement,  and  seemed  for  a  few  months  to  give 
up  his  work.  He  then  took  it  up  with  renewed  zeal 
which  abated  not  till  his  death.  After  a  two-months' 
trip  to  Virginia  and  West  Virginia,  where  he  con- 
tracted typhoid  malarial  fever,  he  died  July  31,  1898, 
a  few  weeks  after  reaching  home.  During  his  sickness 


EARNEST     AND     CONSECRATED.  95 

he  was  perhaps  no  time  conscious.  In  his  delirium 
he  preached  the  Word,  and  persuaded  souls  to  accept 
Christ.  Brother  I.  H.  Diehl  and  Brother  D.  F.  Bow- 
man conducted  the  funeral  services.  He  was  laid  to 
rest  in  the  family  graveyard  on  Boon's  Creek,  there 
to  await  the  resurrection  morning. 

He  was  a  man  of  deep  devotion,  and  at  times  pouring 
out  his  soul  to  God  in  secret,  as  he  thought,  but  we 
often  heard  his  voice  at  night  in  prayer  and  weeping. 
He  comforted  many  hearts — many  dying  saints — 
going  among  the  members  and  encouraging  them  to 
duty.  They  say  to-day,  "  Uncle  George  used  always 
to  come  to  see  us."  In  this  world  of  coldness  and 
indifference,  I  shall  always  thank  God  for  a  father  that 
was  earnest  and  consecrated  to  the  church  and  her 
work  as  given  her  by  Jesus,  our  great  Leader  and 
Redeemer.  SUE  V.  BOWMAN. 

Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  January,  /pod. 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  Brother  George 
C.  Bowman  concerning  the  Civil  War  of  1861-5. 

"  The  war  is  over.  Thank  God  for  his  kind  care 
over  his  children. 

"  The  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  faith  of  the  Gos- 
pel were  all  down  on  their  knees  praying  for  God's 
protection.  They  were  well  treated  and  favored  by 
the  good  people  of  Tennessee.  The  Lord  in  his  mercy 
did  provide  for  his  unworthy  children  who  remembered 
Jesus  that  said,  '  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.' 

"  Boone's  Creek,  Tenn.,  Jan.  18,  i8p8." 


96  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

A   SKETCH   OF  THE   LIFE   OF   JOHN   A. 
BOWMAN,  OF  TENNESSEE. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Tennessee,  June  20,  1813.  He  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  possessed  a  rare  natural 
talent  as  a  student  and  speaker,  which  he  greatly 
developed  in  his  life  and  labors  for  the  Master. 

In  the  year  1830,  he  was  married  to  Maria  L. 
Northington,  to  which  union  were  born  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

He  united  with  the  Brethren  church  about  the  year 
1832,  and  was  elected  to  the  ministry  in  1842,  in 
which  position  he  served  until  his  death,  having  been 
ordained  to  the  eldership  between  the  years  1850  and 
1855. 

Brother  Bowman  was  a  bold  and  fearless  defender 
of  the  faith,  and  was  a  man  of  exceptional  oratorical 
power.  It  is  said  that  he  could  hold  the  interest  of  his 
audience  for  a  two  hours'  discourse.  He  was  held  in 
high  esteem  as  a  preacher  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
was  called  upon,  far  and  near,  to  preach  funerals  and 
to  solemnize  marriages. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  sad  part  of  this  sketch — 
how  he  met  his  death,  which  occurred  September  8, 
1863.  It  \vas  at  the  time  our  country  was  arrayed  in 
civil  strife.  The  circumstance,  briefly  told,  is  as 
follows : 

Some  soldiers,  supposed  to  be  Confederates,  as  they 
wore  that  uniform,  came  to  Brother  Bowman's  barn 
on  the  hunt  for  horses.  They  entered  the  barn  and 
were  about  readv  to  lead  off  his  favorite  saddle 


SHOT    BY    A    SOLDIER.  97 

horse,  one  upon  which  he  perhaps  had  made  many 
mission  trips,  when  he  came  out  to  reason  the  matter 
with  them.  He  implored  them  not  to  take  his  horse, 
as  he  very  greatly  stood  in  need  of  his  service,  and 
during  the  time  he  gently  laid  his  hand  upon  the 
horse's  mane,  whereupon  one  of  the  soldiers  drew  his 
gun  and  shot  him  dead.  Thus  ended  the  life  of  a 
useful  servant  of  the  Lord  by  the  hands  of  a  thought- 
less, reckless  man  in  the  garb  of  a  soldier. 

J.   P.   BOWMAN. 
Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  February,  /pod. 


PART   THREE 


SKETCHES   AND    INCIDENTS 


Experiences  in  the  Lives  of  Brethren,  Mennonites, 
Friends,  Etc. 


esson 


From""!™ 


Do  we  not    see  in  the  lov/lt)  form 
Of  A  godly  life  A  beautiful  clwm? 
Behold   the   clAm  in  its  prison  she II7) 
How  it  spurns  not  the  grAin  of  sADd 
TIW  cuts,  but  tAkes  it  in 'to  dwell, 
And    turns    its    edge    with  grwd 
And  qentle   spirit    till  the    swirl 
Of  *h£    sea    finds  in  its  depths  4  pearl 


-,& 


?  do  AS  wel  I 
Opthe   hum  AH    seA, 
Jf\$-&fed  tiAs  trotted  thy  bliss, 
come    to  thee  ? 

S^~ ;.— :- 

-lV;TTi  TT  '-•         »,!i-  ,    -  L 

C/\r>st .  thou  tAKe  the  deed  ii^ith   its 
,  ^ -burning i  sting,  ;"     |  ,     M 
Ur  the  word  rrorn  I  IDS  tn/^t  curl  ^ 
iApdr^v^Tfetjq  |5vttJu  thing 
And  qive^it  bAckv.A  peArl? 

-=-  '  :,"*•  "^~^V>   -  -: •        ^r^ssatL. 


SKETCHES  AND  INCIDENTS 


Experiences  in  the  Lives  of  Brethren,  Mennonites, 
Friends,  Etc. 


ANDREW  HUTCHISON. 

ELD.  ANDREW  HUTCHISON  was  born  in  Monroe 
county,  West  Virginia,  January  15,  1836.  He  was 
called  to  the  ministry  October  20,  1860;  and  after 
serving  in  the  ministry  twenty-nine  years,  he  gave 
himself  wholly  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist.  He  has 
been  in  the  evangelistic  field  sixteen  years.  He  lived 
in  Monroe  county,  West  Virginia,  till  after  the  Civil 
War.  In  1866  he  moved  to  Fayette  county,  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  1868  he  moved  to  Centerview,  Missouri, 
and  in  1890  to  McPherson,  Kansas.  From  this  central 
point  as  his  home,  he  travels  almost  constantly  among 
the  churches  where  his  services  are  most  needed,  and 
though  physically  a  weak  man,  he  is  an  example  of 
what  patient  and  persistent  effort  may  accomplish. 
He  possesses  a  clear  voice,  distinct  utterance,  a  ready 
delivery,  and  a  remarkable  memory  well  stored  with 
scriptural  knowledge.  He  is  not  slow  to  assert  the 
fact  that  man  is  a  sinner  and  needs  regeneration,  and 
like  the  old  sunlight,  his  presentation  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  as  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation,  is  new 
every  day. 

101 


102  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

The  following  incident  was  written  by  him  Decem- 
ber 17,  1897,  while  he  was  in  Lordsburg,  California, 
and  is  given  as  some  of  his  personal  experience  in  the 
War  of  1861-5: 

INCIDENT  1. 

"  In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1863,  I  was  called 
upon  to  go  to  Peterstown,  Monroe  Co.,  W.  Va.,  for  the 
purpose  of  reporting  the  condition  of  a  very  sick  man 
to  his  doctor.  On  entering  the  town,  I  saw  a  consider- 
able body  of  soldiers  in  rank  and  file  on  the  street. 
This  was  nothing  new  or  strange.  I  dismounted  from 
my  horse,  and  was  in  the  act  of  entering  the  doctor's 
office  when  the  chief  officer  over  these  soldiers  called 
out,  'Halt'!  I  said,  'What  is  wanted'?  He  said, 
'  We  are  about  ready  to  march,  and  you  must  fall  in 
line,  and  go  too.'  I  said,  '  General,  please  allow  me  to 
see  the  doctor  first.'  He  answered  in  a  very  unpleas- 
ant manner  that  he  would  grant  no  such  privilege.  I 
then  insisted  that  I  should  be  permitted  to  report  the 
condition  of  the  sick  man.  He  declined  to  grant  the 
liberty  asked  for,  and  used  words  that  I  would  not 
wish  to  repeat.  I  then  informed  him  that  I  was  an 
invalid  for  life,  and  therefore  not  able  to  perform  mil- 
itary duty.  He  answered,  '  You  don't  look  like  a 
cripple.'  I  then  said  to  him,  'I  am  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  and  am  exempt  from  military  duty.  His  only 
reply  was,  '  A  young  looking  preacher  ' — with  some 
adjectives  to  it.  I  next  informed  him  that  I  had  such 
conscientious  scruples  as  would  forbid  me  to  take  the 
sword,  and  shed  the  blood  of  my  fellow-man.  But 
this  so  exasperated  the  officer  in  'gray  '  that  he  said 
with  bitter  words,  '  We  will  see  whether  you  don't,' 


A     CLOSE     CALL.  103 

and  calling  on  three  men  of  Company  A,  '  Come  out 
here/ — and  they  came, — he  said  to  them,  '  Load  your 
guns,'  which  being  done,  he  said,  '  Put  that  man  under 
range  of  your  guns,'  and  they  obeyed.  The  next  order 
was,  '  Shoot  him  down  in  five  minutes,  if  he  does  not 
consent  to  go  into  service.'  I  said,  '  You  can  kill  me 
if  you  choose  to  do  so,  but  to  go  into  the  service  and 
slay  my  fellow-man,  I  will  not.  For  the  sake  of  Christ 
and  his  cause  I  here  and  now  give  up  my  life  freely.' 

"  At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Allen  Spangler,  a  citizen  of 
that  town,  came  hurriedly  by  me  and  ran  up  on  the 
porch  where  the  officer  was  standing,  and  taking  him 
by  the  throat  gave  him  a  regular  earthquake  of  a 
shaking  up,  so  much  so  that  the  officer  could  not 
speak  for  a  time.  Mr.  Spangler  then  said  to  him, 
'  Order  those  guns  down,  or  I  will  kill  you  right  here.' 
The  guns  were  ordered  down,  but  in  a  very  feeble 
tone,  for  he  had  but  little  strength  left.  So  the  guns 
were  lowered  with  bayonets  to  the  ground,  still  hold- 
ing the  breech  to  the  shoulder.  I  and  the  soldiers  were 
very  near  each  other.  Three  men  had  been  shot 
down  just  before  this,  but  not  Brethren.  They  were 
shot  for  deserting  the  ranks. 

"  Mr.  Spangler  then  said  to  this  officer,  '  Go  into 
the  store  there,  and  write  this  man  a  pass,  and  send 
him  home  like  a  gentleman,  before  I  mash  you  into 
the  earth.'  This  was  done,  and  the  officer  brought  it 
to  me.  I  acknowledged  the  favor,  then  went  into  the 
doctor's  office  and  reported  the  case  of  the  sick  man. 
I  then  came  out  and  mounted  my  horse  with  nerves 
very  steady ;  but  by  the  time  I  had  gone  one-half  mile 
my  whole  system  relaxed,  and  it  was  with  no  little 


104  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

effort  for  the  next  half  hour  that  I  continued  my 
journey.  This  was  the  only  time  that  I  had  the  priv- 
ilege of  giving  up  my  life  for  Christ's  sake.  And 
while  there  was  a  very  pleasant  feature  about  it,  yet 
I  am  free  to  say  that  I  do  not  wish  to  be  called  upon 
to  repeat  it  under  similar  circumstances.  It  has  been 
of  great  benefit  to  me  in  later  trials,  and  I  consent  to 
give  the  case  here,  hoping  that  it  may  be  of  benefit 
to  others  who  may  in  anyway  be  brought  into  trial. 

"  I  never  felt  more  fully  and  visibly  the  intervention 
of  the  hand  of  Providence  than  in  this  case.  And  it 
has  been  a  source  of  great  pleasure  to  me  to  meet  my 
friend,  Mr.  Spangler,  though  he  always  said  he  did 
no  more  than  his  duty,  which  seemed  to  be  a  great 
pleasure  to  him.  He  was  a  very  quiet  man,  but  a  very 
strong  man.  He  was  at  that  time  serving  in  the 
Southern  army  as  a  wagon  master." 

INCIDENT  2. 

'''  The  soldiers  pressed  a  fine  young  mare  of  mine 
into  the  service,  and  she  was  as  true  to  the  collar  as 
any  animal  I  ever  worked.  But  when  they  put  her  in 
harness,  and  hitched  her  to  their  artillery  wagons  she 
squarely  refused  to  pull ;  they  could  not  make  her 
stretch  a  tug.  And  they  branded  her  with  being  dis- 
loyal like  her  master.  So  they  turned  her  out,  and  she 
came  home  and  was  true  as  ever."  D.  11. 

JOHN  A.  SHOWALTER. 

[JOHN  A.  Snow  ALTER  (1832-  )  is  a  native  of 

Rockingham    county,    Virginia,    and   a   grandnephew 
of  Joseph  Funk,  music  publisher  and  author  of  "  Har- 


JOHN     A.     SHOWALTER.  105 

mona  Sacra."  He  took  a  course  of  instruction  in 
music  at  Singer's  Glen,  Va.,  as  given  by  Joseph  Funk 
and  Sons,  and  in  1863  entered  the  field  as  a  teacher  of 
vocal  music.  As  a  leader  in  vocal  church  music  he  had 
few  equals.  He  had  a  clear,  strong,  ringing  voice, 
well  sustained  throughout.  He  has  composed  a  num- 
ber of  tunes — No.  139,  Brethren  Hymnal,  being  one 
of  them.  He  now  lives  near  Cherry  Grove,  Va.,  not 
far  from  the  place  of  his  birth,  on  a  beautiful  country 
home,  where  flows  one  of  the  famous  springs  of  the 
val!ey,  sparkling  with  freshness  and  coolness,  and 
inviting  to  repose.] 

"  In  the  month  of  June,  1861,  I  was  drafted  for  serv- 
ice in  the  war;  but  I  refused  to  go  for  two  reasons: 
First,  I  was  conscientiously  opposed  to  war;  second, 
I  claimed  exemption  on  the  ground  of  bad  health. 
So  I  remained  at  home  until  I  was  forced  to  go.  When 
I  arrived  at  camp,  I  refused  to  bear  arms,  again 
claimed  exemption,  was  examined,  and  placed  on  the 
sick  list  by  order  of  the  doctor  of  the  regiment;  but 
I  was  compelled  to  remain  in  camp.  Within  three 
weeks,  I  took  the  measles,  and  through  the  influence 
of  the  captain  of  the  company,  I  got  a  furlough  to 
come  home  for  ten  days.  The  captain  told  me  to  go 
home  and  stay  there  till  he  sent  for  me.  So  I  came 
home  and  remained  till  December  of  the  same  year, 
when  I  was  forced  to  go  back  to  the  army,  contrary 
to  the  captain's  orders.  After  reaching  camp  again, 
I  was  taken  before  a  court  of  inquiry  and  court- 
martialed,  and  sentenced  to  be  drilled  alone  two  hours 
a  day  for  a  certain  number  of  days.  I  again  refused 
to  drill  or  learn  the  art  of  war.  For  this  I  was  threat- 


106  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

ened  to  be  punished  severely;  but  I  still  refused  to 
bear  arms.  Finally,  I  was  asked  if  I  would  assist  in 
cooking  for  the  company.  To  this  I  consented,  and 
I  was  not  punished. 

"  I  was  with  the  army  this  time  during  the  month  of 
January,  1862,  when  we  made  an  extensive  excursion 
through  the  mountains  via  Bath,  Morgan  Co.,  Hancock, 
and  Romney.  From  near  Bath  Springs  I  was  sent  to 
Winchester,  Va.,  to  the  hospital.  I  worked  my  way 
up  the  valley  about  eighteen  miles  from  Winchester 
and  stopped  with  a  relative  about  ten  days.  I  then 
wrote  to  my  father,  and  he  came  after  me,  and  brought 
me  home." 

Here  Brother  Showalter  remained  under  many 
trials  and  bitter  experiences  as  a  man  of  peace,  till 
after  the  "  exemption  act  "  was  passed  ;  his  father  paid 
the  fine,  six  hundred  dollars  including  a  certain  per 
cent  to  the  collecting  officer,  and  he  was  released  dur- 
ing the  war.  D.  H. 

WILLIAM  PETERS. 

EAST  of  Woodstock,  Va.,  and  over  a  mountain  ris- 
ing abruptly  from  the  Shenandoah  River  as  it  flows 
toward  Harper's  Ferry,  there  is  a  little  valley  called 
the  Fort.  In  this  valley,  near  Seven  Fountains,  Broth- 
er Peters  lived.  He  was  the  first  in  that  valley  to  join 
the  Brethren,  and  he  united  with  the  church  only  a 
short  time  before  the  Civil  War.  His  example  of  faith 
and  patient  trust  in  God  is  worthy  of  careful  study. 

He  wrote  the  following,  Jan.  7,  1898: 

'  As  to  myself,  I  never  was  in  the  army.  They 
made  about  four  attempts  to  take  me,  but  never  got 


THREATS.  107 

me  away  from  home.  In  the  fall  of  '61,  the  conscript 
officers  came  to  take  me.  I  told  them  I  could  not  go, 
and  gave  them  -my  reasons.  They  finally  went  away 
and  left  me.  Then  during  that  winter  and  the  next 
spring  they  came  three  different  times  to  take  me  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  saying  they  had  orders  to 
take  me  dead  or  alive.  I  told  them  if  dead  men  were 
of  any  service  to  them,  and  they  saw  fit,  they  could 
use  me;  but  that  was  the  only  way  they  could  get 
any  service  out  of  me  in  the  army.  I  told  them  if 
they  would  leave  me  at  home,  I  would  feed  the  hun- 
gry that  came  to  me  as  long  as  I  had  anything.  I 
reasoned  with  them  kindly,  and  every  time  they  went 
away  and  left  me.  But  citizens  and  '  bushwhackers  ' 
threatened  to  take  my  life,  and  as  my  life  was  in  dan- 
ger I  was  advised  to  go  into  the  army.  I,  however, 
replied  that  I  could  not  take  up  arms  even  if  it  would 
be  the  means  of  saving  my  life.  I  never  went  to  the 
woods  or  the  mountains  for  concealment  as  some  did 
to  get  out  of  the  way,  trusting  in  the  promises  of  the 
Lord  that  he  would  be  with  us  in  six  troubles,  and 
in  the  seventh  he  will  not  forsake  us.  I  believe  the 
Lord  was  my  helper,  and  I  did  not  fear  what  man 
would  do  to  me. 

"  Finally,  I  paid  my  fine.  Still  I  was  accused  of 
being  a  Union  man,  and  my  life  was  threatened.  Three 
of  my  neighbors  were  shot,  being  accused  as  Union 
men ;  and  a  number  left  their  homes  and  went  north 
to  save  their  lives.  I  remained  at  home  at  my  post, 
and  I  am  still  here,  thank  the  Lord,  who  is  our 
Strength,  and  to  whom  belongs  all  honor  and  praise." 

D.  H. 


106  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

MENNONITES  AND  FRIENDS 


GABRIEL  HEATWOLE,  SR. 

GABRIEL  HEATWOLE,  born  in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Oct. 
26,  1789,  died  June  18,  1875,  aged  85  years,  7  months 
and  22  days.  He  was  married  to  Margaret  Swank, 
and  he  lived  east  of  Mole  Hill,  near  Dayton,  Va.  He 
moved  here  in  the  woods,  and  followed  the  cooper 
trade  until  he  had  land  enough  cleared,  then  he  got 
to  farming.  He  afterwards  studied  the  botanic  sys- 
tem of  medicine,  and  became  a  doctor.  He  did  not 
travel  much.  In  1862  he  was  arrested  on  the  charge 
of  being  a  Union  man,  and  was  with  John  Kline  in 
prison. 

He  had  five  sons,  two  sons-in-law,  two  grandsons, 
and  one  grandson-in-law,  in  prison  in  Richmond,  Va. 
His  five  sons  were  Joseph  Heatwole,  Jacob  Heatwole, 
Peter  O.  Heatwole,  Simeon  Heatwole,  and  Gabriel 
D.  Heatwole.  His  two  sons-in-law  were  Frederic 
Rhodes  and  Henry  Rhodes.  His  grandsons  were 
"  Rash  "  Rhodes  and  Manassas  Rhodes.  His  grand- 
son-in-law  was  David  Frank.  SIMEON  HEATWOLE. 

Dayton,  Va.,  Feb.  26,  1906. 

On  a  recent  visit  to  the  writer  of  the  above  sketch, 
Simeon  Heatwole,  the  following  information  was  ob- 
tained : 

There  were  nearly  as  many  of  the  Mennonites  in 
prison  in  Richmond,  Va.,  as  there  were  Brethren,  and 
during  the  whole  time  they  were  all  together  like  one. 


ROUTE    OF    THE    SEVENTY.  109 

The  following  Mennonite  brethren  were  in  Richmond 
prison:  John  Geil,  Henry  Geil,  Henry  Burkholder, 
Samuel  Burkholder,  Benjamin  Burkholder,  and  Solo- 
mon Peterson,  of  Augusta  county.  These  names  were 
given  in  addition  to  the  Heatwole  family  as  given  in 
the  preceding  sketch.  There  was  also  a  son-in-law  of 
Gabriel  Heatwole,  Hugh  A.  Brunk,  in  the  guardhouse 
in  Harrisonburg. 

ROUTE  OF  THE  SEVENTY  VIA  PETERSBURG,  W.  VA., 
FRANKLIN,  MONTEREY,  STAUNTON  TO  RICHMOND: 
We  started  from  Samuel  Beery's,  near  Crissman's, 
and  went  through  Hopkins  Gap.  Then  along  over 
ridges,  across  ravines  and  the  Shenandoah  Mountain, 
we  arrived  at  Judy's  on  the  South  Fork,  where  we 
staid  all  night.  The  next  day  we  crossed  Ketterman's 
Mountain  and  came  to  the  South  Branch  of  the  Po- 
tomac. Here  those  on  horseback  had  to  cross  the 
river  the  second  and  third  time  in  order  to  take  the 
footmen  over.  We  then  passed  through  Petersburg, 
and  after  going  a  mile  or  more  beyond,  we  were  or- 
dered to  halt.  There  were  but  two  men  at  first  that 
stopped  us  on  our  way,  but  after  we  turned  back 
others  came  up  and  went  with  us  to  the  town.  When 
we  returned  to  the  place,  one  of  the  men  that  stopped 
us  seemed  to  be  very  sorry  for  what  was  done,  but 
the  others  spoke  roughly  to  him.  We  were  all  put 
into  one  room,  and  required  to  give  up  any  firearms 
we  had  about  us.  We  showed  them  our  pocket  Testa- 
ments which  we  were  permitted  to  keep.  This  was 
a  surprise  to  them. 

The  same  afternoon  we  were  marched  towards 
Franklin,  and  we  got  as  far  as  Captain  Bond's,  on 


110  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

Xorth  Mill  Creek,  where  we  spent  the  night.  The 
next  day  we  arrived  in  Franklin,  where  we  passed  the 
night  in  the  courthouse,  lying  on  the  floor.  During 
the  night  six  of  our  number  were  taken  out  of  the 
building  one  at  a  time,  and  were  asked  a  number  of 
questions,  who  we  were,  and  where  we  were  going,  and 
they  also  wished  to  know  the  reason.  The  remainder  of 
the  company  did  not  know  what  had  become  of  those 
who  had  been  taken  out  in  this  way,  but  it  turned  out 
better  than  they  expected.  Then  there  \vas  an  attempt 
made  next  morning  to  frighten  them,  that  they  might 
have  an  excuse  as  was  supposed,  to  capture  their 
horses,  but  they  all  remained  quiet  and  kept  together, 
and  paid  no  attention  to  any  attempt  to  alarm  them. 

The  next  day  we  arrived  at  Monterey,  the  county- 
seat  of  Highland  county,  Virginia.  From  this  place 
we  started  for  Staunton,  Va.  It  took  us  two  days  to 
reach  Staunton,  and  it  wras  a  wearisome  journey  across 
narrow  valleys,  over  ridges  and  rough  mountains. 
From  Staunton  we  were  sent  to  Richmond,  where  wr 
were  all  put  into  one  room  of  a  brick  building.  In 
this  room  we  had  no  accommodations  whatever.  When 
we  lay  down  on  the  floor  for  the  night  the  floor  was 
nearly  covered,  and  when  provisions  were  brought  to 
us  they  were  generally  in  buckets. 

We  were  then  moved  down  to  the  canal,  and  placed 
in  a  large  brick  building  where  there  were  a  number 
of  Union  soldiers  kept  as  prisoners.  The  building 
was  about  60x100  feet  and  four  stories  high.  It  lay 
along  the  canal  with  a  road  between  the  building  and 
the  canal.  We  occupied  the  room  in  the  east  end  of 
the  building  and  next  to  the  canal.  James  River  was 


IN     PRISON.  Ill 

just  beyond  the  canal  with  a  high  bank  between  them. 
We  could  see  the  river  from  the  windows  of  the  room 
where  we  were  kept.  On  the  same  floor,  in  another 
room,  the  Union  prisoners  of  war  were  kept.  They 
were  friendly  to  us,  and  were  sorry  to  see  us  leave  the 
building  when  we  got  our  liberty. 

Mr.  John  Hopkins,  of  Rockingham  county,  came  to 
see  us  in  prison.  He  said  he  would  do  all  he  could 
for  us,  and  he  was  as  good  as  his  word.  He  informed 
the  members  of  Congress  what  kind  of  people  we  were, 
that  we  were  conscientions. 

Benjamin  Byerly,  who  lived  near  Dayton,  Va.,  came 
to  see  us  two  or  three  times  while  we  were  in  Rich- 
mond, and  used  all  his  influence  to  get  us  released. 
When  the  Exemption  Act  was  passed,  he  was  one  to 
go  around  to  raise  the  money  to  pay  the  fines  for  our 
release,  and  when  the  fines  were  paid,  he  with  the 
officers  came  and  opened  the  door,  and  he  said,  "  A^ow 
you  can  all  go  home"  This  was  a  glorious  day  for  us. 
I  will  never  forget  Benjamin  Byerly  for  what  he  did 
for  us, — "  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me."  He 
preached  for  us  one  evening  in  "  Thunder  Castle," 
and  when  he  came  to  see  us  again,  he  preached  for 
us  the  second  time,  and  after  we  returned  home  he 
preached  in  the  Bank  church  once  for  us. 

Mrs.  Rhoda  Ellen  Heatwole,  a  model  Mennonite  sis- 
ter, was  sitting  by  during  the  time  her  husband  was 
giving  his  experience  as  described  in  the  preceding 
pages,  when  she  modestly  remarked  that  when  Byerly 
returned  from  Richmond,  and  her  sister  told  her  some- 
one was  coming,  she  could  not  tell  how  she  felt — she 
thought  they  were  all  killed :  her  sister  told  her  that 


PRISON     EXPERIENCES.  113 

her  face  became  sadly  pale.  She  feared  sad  news, 
but  her  "  sorrow  was  turned  into  joy "  when  she 
learned  that  her  husband  would  soon  be  released. 

D.  H. 

A  SCRIPTURAL  ADMONITION 

D    Hays  Dayton,  Va.,  May  10,  1903. 

Dear  Friend : — As  I  have  been  away  from  home  a 
great  deal  of  late,  excuse  me  for  not  answering  your 
letter  sooner.  I  would  much  rather  talk  with  you  than 
write,  as  it  has  been  a  long  time  since  we  were  in  pris- 
on, so  that  I  have  forgotten  a  great  deal  about  it.  If 
you  were  here  I  might  tell  you  a  good  many  things 
about  how  we  were  treated  after  they  arrested  us  and 
took  us  through  the  mountains ;  and  after  we  were  put 
in  prison  we  had  many  times  but  little  to  eat.  But  in 
this  experience  we  learned  how  others  had  to  suffer, 
some  for  want  of  clothing,  others  for  want  of  shelter 
and  protection  from  the  cold. 

The  apostle  admonished  the  Hebrews,  "  Let  your 
conversation  be  without  covetousness,  and  be  content 
with  such  things  as  ye  have:  for  he  hath  said,  I  will 
never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.  So  that  we  may 
boldly  say,  The  Lord  is  my  helper,  and  I  will  not 
fear  what  man  shall  do  unto  me."  Hebrews  13:  5,  6. 

Let  us  continue  to  put  our  trust  in  the  Lord,  and 
lean  upon  his  strong  arm.     Let  us  all  prove  faithful. 
The  promise  is,  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I 
will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."    Rev.  2 :  10. 
Very  truly  yours, 

G.  D.  HEATWOLE. 


114  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

SOCIETY  OF   FRIENDS  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

WILLIAM  PENN  had  set  the  example  of  purchasing 
the  land  from  the  Indians,  and  the  Friends,  who  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia, 
thought  it  unjust  to  take  possession  of  the  lands  upon 
which  they  settled  without  an  agreement  with  the  na- 
tives and  making  some  compensation  for  their  right. 
The  following  letter,  written  by  Thomas  Chaukley, 
addressed  to  the  Monthly  Meeting  on  Opequon,  about 
five  miles  east  of  Winchester,  will  show  the  spirit  of 
peace  and  fairness  of  the  writer : 

"  Virginia,  at  John  Cheagle's,  21st  5th  mo.,  1738. 

"  To  the  Friends  of  the  Monthly  Meeting  at  Ope- 
quon :  Dear  friends  who  inhabit  Shenandoah  and  Ope- 
quon. Having  a  concern  for  your  welfare  and  prosperi- 
ty both  now  and  hereafter,  and  also  the  prosperity  of 
your  children,  I  had  a  desire  to  see  you ;  but  being  in 
years,  and  much  fatigued  with  my  long  journeyings 
in  Virginia  and  Carolina  makes  it  seem  too  hard  for 
me  to  perform  a  visit  in  person  to  you,  wherefore  I 
take  this  way  of  writing  to  discharge  my  mind  of  what 
lies  weighty  thereon. 

"  First.  I  desire  that  you  be  very  careful  (being 
far  and  back  inhabitants)  to  keep  a  friendly  correspond- 
ence with  the  native  Indians,  giving  them  no  occa- 
sion of  offense  ;  they  being  a  cruel  and  merciless  enemy 
where  they  think  they  are  wronged  or  defrauded  of 
their  rights ;  as  woful  experience  hath  taught  in  Car- 
olina, Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  especially  in  New 
England. 

"  Secondly.     As  nature  hath  given  them  and  their 


THE     FRIENDS.  115 

forefathers  the  possession  of  this  continent  of  Amer- 
ica (or  this  wilderness)',  they  had  a  natural  right 
thereto  in  justice  and  equity,  and  no  people,  according 
to  the  law  of  nature  and  justice  and  our  own  prin- 
ciple, which  is  according  to  the  glorious  Gospel  of  our 
dear  and  holy  Jesus  Christ,  ought  to  take  away,  or 
settle  on  other  men's  lands  or  rights  without  consent, 
or  purchasing  the  same  by  agreement  of  parties  con- 
cerned, which  I  suppose  in  your  case  is  not  yet  done. 

"  Thirdly.  Therefore  my  counsel  and  Christian 
advice  to  you  is,  my  dear  friends,  that  the  most  repu- 
table among  you  do  with  speed  endeavor  to  agree  with 
and  purchase  your  lands  of  the  native  Indians,  or  in- 
habitants. Take  example  of  our  worthy  and  honorable 
late  proprietor,  William  Penn;  who,  by  the  wise  and 
religious  care  in  that  relation,  hath  settled  a  lasting 
peace  and  commerce  with  the  natives,  and  through  his 
prudent  management  therein  hath  been  instrumental 
to  plant  in  peace  one  of  the  most  flourishing  province^ 
in  the  world. 

"Fourthly.  Who  would  run  the  risk  of  the  lives 
of  their  wives  and  children  for  the  sparing  of  a  little 
cost  and  pains  ?  I  am  concerned  to  lay  these  things  be- 
fore you,  under  an  uncommon  exercise  of  mind,  that 
your  new  and  flourishing  little  settlement  may  not  be 
laid  waste  and  (if  the  providence  of  the  Almighty 
doth  not  intervene,  some  of  the  blood  of  yourselves, 
wives  or  children,  be  shed  or  spilt  on  the  ground. 

"  Fifthly.  Consider  you  are  in  the  province  of  Vir- 
ginia, holding  what  rights  you  have  under  that  govern- 
ment, and  the  Virginians  have  made  an  agreement 
with  the  natives  to  go  as  far  as  the  mountains  and  no 


116  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

farther,  and  you  are  over  and  beyond  the  mountains, 
therefore  out  of  that  agreement ;  by  which  you  lie 
open  to  the  insults  and  incursions  of  the  Southern 
Indians,  who  have  destroyed  many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Carolina  and  Virginia,  and  even  now  destroyed  more 
on  the  like  occasion.  The  English  going  beyond  the 
bounds  of  their  agreement,  eleven  of  them  were  killed 
by  the  Indians  while  we  were  traveling  in  Virginia. 

"  Sixthly.  If  you  believe  yourselves  to  be  within 
the  bounds  of  William  Penn's  patent  from  King 
Charles  the  Second,  which  \vill  be  hard  for  you  to 
prove,  you  being  far  southward  of  his  line,  yet  if  done, 
that  will  be  no  consideration  with  the  Indians  without 
a  purchase  from  them,  except  you  will  go  about  to 
convince  them  by  fire  and  sword,  contrary  to  our  prin- 
ciples, and  if  that  were  done,  they  would  ever  be  im- 
placable enemies,  and  the  land  could  never  be  enjoyed 
in  peace. 

"  Seventhly.  Please  note  that  in  Pennsylvania 
no  new  settlements  are  made  without  an  agreement 
with  the  natives,  as  witness  Lancaster  county  lately 
settled,  though  that  is  far  within  the  grant  of  William 
Penn's  patent  from  King  Charles  the  Second,  where- 
fore you  lie  open  to  the  insurrections  of  the  Northern 
as  well  as  the  Southern  Indians. 

"  Lastly.  Thus  having  shown  my  good  will  to  you 
and  to  your  new  little  settlement,  that  you  might  set 
everyone  under  your  own  shady  tree,  where  none 
might  make  you  afraid,  and  that  you  might  prosper, 
naturally  and  spiritually,  you  and  your  children;  and 
having  a  little  eased  my  mind  of  that  weight  and  con- 
cern (in  some  measure)  that  lay  upon  me,  I  at  pres- 


UNJUST    TREATMENT.  117 

ent  desist,  and  subscribe  myself  in  the  love  of  our 
holy  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Your  real  friend,  T.  C." 

(From  Kercheval's  "  History  of  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia.") 

The  same  book,  pages  126,  127,  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  "  in  the  year  1777,  on  the  8th  of  Sep- 
tember, in  conformity  with  a  recommendation  of  Con- 
gress, a  number  of  Quakers  and  others  were  taken 
up  by  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  were  sent  to  Winchester,  Va.,  under  guard,  with 
a  request  from  the  executive  of  Pennsylvania  directed 
to  the  county  lieutenant  of  Frederick  to  secure  them. 
When  the  prisoners  were  delivered  into  the  custody 
of  General  John  Smith,  who  was  then  county  lieuten- 
ant, he  proposed  to  them  that  if  they  would  pledge 
their  honors  not  to  abscond  they  should  not  be  placed 
in  confinement.  Among  the  prisoners  were  three  of 
the  Pembertons,  two  of  the  Fishers,  an  aged  minister 
by  the  name  of  Hunt  and  several  others.  One  of  the 
Fishers  was  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  protested  in 
his  own  name,  and  on  behalf  of  his  fellow-prisoners, 
against  being  taken  into  custody  by  Colonel  Smith. 
He  stated  that  they  had  protested  against  being  sent 
from  Philadelphia;  that  they  had  again  protested  at 
the  Pennsylvania  line  against  being  taken  out  of  the 
State ;  that  they  had  repeated  their  protest  at  the  Mary- 
land line  against  being  taken  into  Virginia ;  that  there 
was  no  existing  law  which  justified  their  being  de- 
prived of  their  liberty,  and  exiled  from  their  native 
homes  and  families,  and  treated  as  criminals.  To 
which  Colonel  Smith  replied,  '  It  is  true,  I  know  of 
no  existing  law  which  will  justify  your  detention,  but 


118  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

as  you  are  sent  to  my  care  by  the  supreme  executive 
authority  of  your  native  State,  and  represented  as  dan- 
gerous characters,  and  as  having  been  engaged  in  trea- 
sonable practices  with  the  enemy,  I  consider  it  my  duty 
to  detain  you  at  least  until  I  can  send  an  express  to 
the  governor  of  Virginia  for  his  advice  and  direc- 
tion what  to  do  in  the  premises.'  He  accordingly 
dispatched  an  express  to  Williamsburg,  with  a  letter 
to  the  governor,  who  soon  returned  with  the  orders  of 
the  executive  to  secure  the  prisoners.  Colonel  Smith 
again  repeated  that  '  if  they  would  pledge  themselves 
not  to  abscond  he  would  not  cause  them  to  be  con- 
fined.' Upon  which  one  of  the  Pembertons  said  to 
Fisher,  '  that  his  protest  was  unavailing,  and  that  they 
must  patiently  submit  to  their  fate.'  Then  addressing 
himself  to  Colonel  Smith  he  observed,  '  they  would  not 
enter  into  any  pledges,  and  he  must  dispose  of  them  as 
he  thought  proper.'  The  colonel  then  ordered  them  to 
be  placed  under  guard. 

"  Shortly  before  this  three  hundred  Hessian  prison- 
ers had  been  sent  to  Winchester ;  there  was  consequent- 
ly a  guard  ready  prepared  to  receive  these  exiles,  and 
they  remained  in  custody  about  eight  or  nine  months, 
during  which  time  two  of  them  died,  and  the  whole 
of  them  became  much  dejected,  and  it  is  probable 
more  of  them  would  have  died  of  broken  hearts  had 
they  not  been  permitted  to  return.  Some  time  after 
the  British  left  Philadelphia,  these  exiles  employed 
the  late  Alexander  White,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  near  Win- 
chester, for  which  they  paid  him  one  hundred  pounds 
Virginia  currency  in  gold  coin,  to  go  to  Philadelphia 
and  negotiate  with  the  executive  authority  of  the 


FAITHFUL     BELIEVERS.  119 

State  to  permit  them  to  return  to  their  families  and 
friends,  in  which  negotiation  White  succeeded ;  and 
to  the  great  joy  and  heartfelt  satisfaction  of  these 
captives,  they  returned  to  their  native  homes." 

This  account  corresponds  with  the  statement  pre- 
viously given  by  Christopher  Saur  of  the  arrest  of  a 
number  of  Quakers  who  "  were  punished  and  carried 
away  to  Virginia."  The  cause  of  the  arrest  of  these 
Friends,  as  given  in  the  report  of  a  committee  in  Con- 
gress on  the  28th  of  August,  1777,  was,  "  That  the 
several  testimonies  which  have  been  published  since 
the  commencement  of  the  present  contest  betwixt 
Great  Britain  and  America,  and  the  uniform  tenor  of 
the  conduct  and  conversation  of  a  number  of  persons 
of  considerable  wealth,  -who  profess  themselves  to  be- 
long to  the  society  of  people  commonly  called  Quakers, 
render  it  certain  and  notorious  that  those  persons  are 
with  much  rancor  and  bitterness  disaffected  to  the 
American  cause,"  etc.  (Idem,  pp.  125-6.)  This  report 
of  the  committee  shows  that  Congress  did  not  order 
the  arrest  of  these  persons  because  they  were  Quakers, 
but  because  (in  the  opinion  of  the  committee)  they 
professed  to  belong  to  the  Quakers,  but  did  not  live 
up  to  the  standard,  nor  did  they  maintain  the  princi- 
ples of  that  body  of  people.  The  sequel,  however, 
shows  that  they  were  true  to  their  faith. 

These  Quakers  possibly,  regarded  the  States  as  in  a 
condition  of  rebellion,  and  to  support  such  a  condition 
meant  war,  which  was  contrary  to  the  principles  of 
peace  they  held  sacred.  They  had  been  all  along 
loyal  subjects  to  the  established  government;  but  here 
was  a  new  experience,  a  government  in  a  transition 


120  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

state,  a  passing  over  from  one  form  of  government 
into  another.  Under  similar  conditions  (we  speak 
advisedly),  a  Peace  People  should  be  submissive  and 
inoffensive  to  the  powers  that  be,  during  the  period 
of  transition,  and  whenever  the  government  under 
which  they  live  and  to  which  they  have  been  loyal 
subjects,  changes  its  form  and  its  national  relations, 
then  they  do  become  obedient  subjects  to  the  new  gov- 
ernment. D.  H. 

ELDER  B.  F.  MOOMAW. 

DURING  the  Civil  War,  Bro.  Moomaw  was  in  the 
zenith  of  his  power  and  influence  which  he  steadily 
maintained  as  the  champion  of  peace,  ready  to  serve 
the  Brethren  he  loved  and  the  community  where  God 
placed  him.  He  stood  for  truth  and  demanded  a  rec- 
ognition of  the  rights  of  the  Brethren  as  a  peace  people, 
even  from  his  opponents,  and  when  other  means  failed, 
he  appealed  to  the  highest  civil  and  military  authorities, 
and  his  position,  means  and  influence  were  such  that 
his  appeals  were  generally  successful.  Through  this 
period  of  trial  and  personal  danger  he  was  permit- 
ted to  live,  and  to  witness  the  triumph  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  peace,  and  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labors. 

Writing  to  his  son  at  West  Liberty,  Ohio  (1865), 
and  who  had  but  recently  "  adopted  the  holy  religion 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  he  says:  "The  storm  is 
over,  and  we  are  now  enjoying  a  blessed  calm.  I  hope 
you  will  make  it  your  constant  care  and  study  to  adorn 
the  profession  you  have  made.  It  is  one  thing  to  be 
a  member  of  the  church,  and  to  be  a  consistent  Chris- 
tian is  another.  Christians,  as  I  understand  the  matter, 


ELD.    B.    F.    MOOMAW.  121 

are  pilgrims  and  strangers  in  the  world,  belonging  to 
another  kingdom,  not  of  this  world.  Since  God  in  his 
kind  Providence  has  brought  to  an  end  this  cruel  and 
unholy  war,  I  hope  that  all  will  lay  aside  sectional 
differences,  and  return  more  ardently  to  the  love  and 
service  of  God  who  requires  our  whole  affection  and 
unmixed  devotion, — that  love  and  fraternal  union  of 
the  whole  body  will  be  our  constant  aim,  and  that 
everything  calculated  to  mar  our  affection,  or  to  alien- 
ate the  church  may  be  studiously  avoided." 

The  above  extract  is  from  the  pen  of  his  son  (J.  C. 
M.),  communicated  to  the  Gospel  Visitor,  August,  1865, 
on  his  way  home  from  Annual  Meeting  in  Lee  Co.,  111. 
It  serves  to  show  the  style  of  Bro.  B.  F.  Moomaw  as 
a  writer,  and  that  the  peace  and  union  of  the  Breth- 
ren North  and  South  was  the  burden  of  his  theme 
and  lay  very  near  his  heart.  He  was  a  vigorous  writer 
before  and  during  the  war,  and  he  kept  up  an  exten- 
sive correspondence  with  persons  seeking  the  truth. 
He  generally  wrote  on  doctrinal  subjects,  some  of 
which  were  published  in  tract  form, — the  last  but  not 
least  being  a  treatise  on  the  "Divinity  of  Christ." 

As  a  speaker  he  was  bold,  earnest  and  fearless,— 
not  hesitating  to  assail  at  any  time  what  he  conceived 
to  be  wrong  even  in  the  midst  of  intimidation.  One 
thing  stood  to  his  advantage  under  such  trying  expe- 
riences, and  that  was  his  diffuse  style  of  delivery. 
He  did  not  approach  his  subject  abruptly.  He  did  not 
strike  his  opponents  without  due  notice.  He  brought 
the  sun  to  bear  upon  the  dark  side  of  error  in  such  a 
way  that  the  sable  curtain  was  withdrawn  at  a  time 
when  his  hearers  were  least  expecting  it.  He  usually 


122  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

took  in  the  whole  range  of  his  subject,  and  aimed  to 
elucidate  everything  that  came  within  the  scope  of 
his  mental  vision.  When  he  ascended  the  mountain 
side,  or  passed  from  hill  to  hill  along  the  winding 
stream,  he  had  for  those  who  followed  him  in  his  dis- 
course a  rich  cluster  of  fruits  and  flowers.  If  Bro. 
Moomaw  lacked  concentration  of  thought  and  ex- 
pression, he  was  not  wanting  in  persistency.  If  he 
failed  to  part  the  cloud  letting  the  light  of  day  burst 
in  splendor  upon  his  subject,  he  possessed  the  greater 
gift  of  leading  his  hearers  to  discover  much  truth  for 
themselves. 

His  home  was  in  the  middle  south-side  of  the  Old 
Dominion — a  typical  Virginia  home.  Here  he  raised 
an  intelligent  family — here  he  dispensed  hospitality  to 
friend  and  foe.  In  a  grove  on  this  homestead  camped 
a  regiment  of  Virginia  soldiers.  By  special  request 
Bro.  Moomaw  preached  for  these  soldiers,  delivering 
to  them  the  message  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace.  In  his 
home  the  sick  of  this  regiment  were  cared  for  without 
any  financial  compensation,  thus  gaining  the  good-will 
of  both  officers  and  men,  and  sowing  the  good  seed 
which  invariably  brings  good  results  in  God's  own 
time  and  way. 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  Bro.  C.  D.  Hylton : 
"  Elder  Benjamin  F.  Moomaw,*  so  well  known  to  the 
Brotherhood,  was  born  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia. 
March  30,  1814,  and  in  this  county  and  State  his  long 
and  eventful  life  was  spent. 

*Bro.  Hylton's  Sketch  of  Elder  Moomaw  was  obtained 
through  the  courtesy  of  Bro.  Grant  Mahan,  of  the  Brethren 
Publishing  House,  Elgin,  Illinois. 


ELDER  B.   F.   MOOMAW.  123 

"  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  few  data  have  been 
preserved  in  reference  to  his  life.  When  he  became  a 
member  of  the  church,  was  called  to  the  ministry,  and 
ordained  to  the  eldership  are  periods  now  unknown, 
even  by  his  family.  His  ordination  must  have  been 
prior  to  1860,  because  in  that  year  he  was  sent  by 
Annual  Meeting  on  a  committee  with  other  brethren 
to  adjust  some  difficulties  in  Tennessee. 

"  He  was  appointed  five  times  by  the  Annual  Meet- 
ing to  serve  on  committees  sent  to  churches.  In  1860 
and  1871  he  was  sent  to  Tennessee,  in  1872  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  visit  some  churches  in  Indiana,  and  in  1874 
with  two  other  brethren  he  crossed  the  continent  to 
visit  the  '  Far  Western  Brethren '  in  California.  He 
represented  the  First  District  of  Virginia  on  the 
Standing  Committee  at  Annual  Meeting  six  times, 
and  in  1861  he  was  clerk  of  the  Annual  Meeting.  In 
the  early  fifties  he  strongly  advocated  and  urged  the 
church  to  engage  more  actively  in  spreading  the  Gos- 
pel. In  1852  the  matter  was  brought  to  Annual  Meet- 
ing and  elicited  a  hearty  response.  He  advocated  the 
publishing  of  a  church  paper  at  a  time  when  it  was 
unpopular,  and  faithfully  supported  Eld.  Henry  Kurtz 
in  bringing  out  the  Gospel  Visitor.  He  was  a  devoted 
friend  of  Eld.  John  Kline  and  always  held  Bro.  James 
Quinter  in  high  esteem. 

"  He  has  a  war  history  that  will  always  be  held 
sacred  to  his  memory.  In  connection  with  other 
brethren  he  did  much  for  the  release  of  brethren,  and 
the  comfort  of  the  Southern  soldiers.  Many  of  them 
speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  his  kindness  and  hos- 
pitality toward  them.  A  number  of  troops  camped 


124  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

on  his  farm  and  some  took  sick  in  camp  and  died  in 
his  house  after  receiving  the  kindest  attention. 

"  Bro.  Moomaw  was  bold,  fearless,  and  at  times 
rather  stern  in  his  decisions.  When  a  position  was 
taken  he  rarely  moved  from  it,  and  his  position  was 
not  held  in  secret.  He  made  no  compromises.  As 
a  minister  he  was  doctrinal  and  disregarded  the  po- 
sition of  those  who  differed  with  him. 

"  Financially  he  was  very  successful.  Starting  in 
life  with  a  good  inheritance  and  receiving  several 
thousand  dollars  through  his  marriage,  and  at  a  time 
when  land  was  cheap,  he  had  advantages  over  many 
others.  Then,  through  industry,  care  and  an  eye  to 
business,  he  added  many  thousand  dollars  to  his  pos- 
sessions. 

"  He  died  November  6,  1901,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-seven  years,  seven  months,  and  six  days.  He 
was  laid  to  rest  on  a  little  knoll  in  the  family  cemetery 
on  the  farm  where  he  had  spent  all  of  his  married 
life,  near  Bonsacks,  Va."  D.  H. 

November  19,  /pod. 

ELDER  JOHN  KLINE,  OF  VIRGINIA. 

BY   BENJAMIN    FUNK. 

[Benjamin  Funk,  author  of  the  "Life  of  John 
Kline,"  was  born  at  Singers  Glen,  Virginia,  December  29, 
1829.  He  was  the  youngest  of  seven  brothers  and  two 
sisters,  the  children  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  Funk.  His 
early  training  in  science  and  literature  was  limited.  He 
worked  several  years  in  his  father's  printing  office  and 
bindery.  In  1854  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Burk- 
holder,  of  Rockingham  county,  Virginia.  He  then  took 
a  limited  course  of  instruction  in  Richmond  College,  Vir- 


ELDER     JOHN     KLINE.  125 

ginia.  In  1864  his  first  wife  died.  In  1870  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mollie  E.  Cowger,  of  West  Virginia.  They 
live  happily  near  the  place  of  his  nativity,  in  a  neat,  cosy 
building  under  the  lofty  oaks,  with  a  modest  chestnut, 
dogwood,  pine  and  laurel,  deftly  trimmed — all  nature's 
own  setting — presenting  a  picture  of  rural  taste,  rustic 
beauty  and  simplicity.  Here  he  lives  in  retirement  from 
the  active  duties  of  the  ministry  and  school-teaching,  yet 
he  is  still  engaged  in  writing  and  the  pursuit  of  literature.] 

THE  following  sketch  is  from  his  pen: 
"  It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  introduce  the  name 
of  this  eminent  servant  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  to  the 
readers  of  this  work.  From  a  biography  taken  from 
his  diary,  augmented  by  the  personal  recollections 
of  the  writer  and  others,  the  following  sketch  is  ob- 
tained : 

"  John  Kline  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  17,  1797.  He  with  his  father  and  other 
members  of  the  family  moved  to  Virginia  when  he 
was  about  fourteen,  and  settled  on  Linville  Creek,  in 
Rockingham  county.  He  was  married  to  Anna 
Wampler,  March  10,  1818.  As  indicated  by  his  diary, 
his  active  ministry  began  about  the  year  1835,  from 
which  time  on  to  the  close  of  his  life,  a  period  of 
twenty-nine  years,  the  entries  in  his  diary  state  (1) 
Where  he  spent  the  day  and  night,  (2)  How  he  spent 
the  day  and  night.  He  made  extended  journeys  on 
horseback,  often  traveling  over  four  thousand  miles 
in  a  single  year.  As  an  example  of  the  nature  and 
extent  of  his  journeys,  in  the  year  1835,  he  went  on 
a  preaching  tour  through  western  Virginia,  western 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  returning 
home  through  southwest  Virginia.  The  toil  of  this 


126.  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

journey,  on  horseback,  over  bad  roads,  through  thinly 
settled  sections  of  country  and  dark  forests,  over  rug- 
ged mountains,  more  than  seventy  years  ago,  and  all 
for  Christ  and  burning  love  for  his  people,  make  this 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  missionary  journeys  on 
record.  In  addition  to  his  diary  he  wrote  some  con- 
troversial matter  for  the  press.  He  spoke  German  and 
English  with  equal  freedom.  As  a  minister  he  was 
impressive,  lie  possessed  an  orotund  voice,  a  ready 
delivery,  and  a  commanding  presence. 

"  During  the  last  twenty-nine  years  of  his  ministry 
he  attended  General  Conference  twenty-eight  times. 
He  was  moderator  of  the  Virginia  Conference  in  1861, 
and  of  each  one  after  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1864. 
He  continued  to  discharge  his  duties  as  a  minister 
and  overseer  of  the  church  with  unwavering  devo- 
tion even  in  time  of  the  Civil  War,  and  fell  at  last  a 
sacrifice  for  the  cause  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  The 
last  Conference  he  attended  was  held  at  Hagerstown, 
Indiana,  in  1864.  A  few  clays  after  his  return  home, 
while  attending  to  his  accustomed  neighborly  duties, 
he  was  waylaid  and  killed  by  a  number  of  '  scouts/ 
near  the  summit  of  a  little  ridge  about  two  miles 
west  of  his  home.  He  was  buried  at  Linville  Creek 
church,  where  he  long  had  labored  for  the  people  he 
loved.  At  his  funeral  service  the  text  was  Acts  8 :  2, 
'  And  devout  men  carried  Stephen  to  his  burial,  and 
made  great  lamentation  over  him.'  Elder  Solomon 
Garber  opened  the  service  and  spoke  briefly.  Then 
Elder  Jacob  Wine  spoke,  and  he  was  followed  by  the 
writer  (Benjamin  Funk)  and  Jacob  Spitzer.  The 
meeting  was  closed  by  Christian  Wine.  It  was  a  me- 


ELDER     JOHN     KLINE.  127 

morial  service,  more  than  a  funeral.  There  was  not 
a  word  of  censure  uttered  by  any  of  the  speakers.  The 
text  itself  was  the  embodiment  of  all  that  was  said. 
As  Stephen  was  the  first  Christian  martyr,  and  Brother 
Kline  the  last  then  known,  the  appropriateness  of  the 
text  was  apparent.  Then  the  smile  of  peace  visible 
upon  his  dead  face,  when  viewed  for  the  last  time, 
made  the  resemblance  complete.  Yes,  if  Stephen's 
living  face  was  as  the  face  of  an  angel,  Brother  Kline's 
dead  face  was  the  face  of  a  saint. 

"  At  the  head  of  his  grave  a  plain  marble  slab  bears 
the  inscription : 

Elder  John   Kline 

Killed 
June  IS,  1864 

Aged 
66  years,  11  months  and  28  days. 

When  he  was  present,  he  was  useful, 

When  absent  wanted  much, 

He  lived  desired,  when  killed  lamented. 

"  The  following  account  of  his  arrest  and  imprison- 
ment in  1862,  will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader.  His 
arrest  was  made  because  of  his  influential  opposition 
to  the  '  secession  movement '  of  1861.  Led  by  a  just 
estimate  of  the  power  and  determinate  purpose  of  the 
General  Government  to  perpetuate  the  unity  of  its 
existence,  he  opposed  secession  upon  religious  grounds, 
as  a  thing  threatening  the  peace,  harmony,  and  pros- 
perity of  the  country.  He  always  maintained,  how- 
ever, that  what  we  do,  must  be  done -in  meekness  be- 
fore God,  and  good  will  toward  men.  He  saw  the 
darkness  gathering  in  the  distance,  and  he  took  the 


128  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

lead  in  sounding  the  notes  of  warning  into  the  ears 
of  the  Brotherhood  to  '  have  their  loins  girded  and 
their  lamps  trimmed  and  burning.' 

"  In  his  diary  for  January  1,  1861,  he  enters  the  fol- 
lowing sentiments :  The  New  Year  is  threatened  with 
dark  clouds  gathering  around  us.  I  feel  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  our  country,  but 
in  my  view  both  are  sorely  threatened  now.  Secession 
is  the  cry  further  south,  and  I  fear  it  is  being  wafted 
towards  Virginia  on  the  wings  of  fanatical  discon- 
tent. A  move  is  clearly  on  hand  for  holding  a  con- 
vention of  delegates  from  all  the  counties  of  Virginia 
to  meet  in  Richmond ;  and  whilst  its  advocates  pub- 
licly deny  the  charge,  I  feel  sure  its  proceedings  will 
end  in  the  separation  of  the  old  State  from  the  Union. 

"  The  perishable  things  of  earth  concern  me  not  ex- 
cept wherein  they  affect  the  imperishable.  Secession 
means  war ;  and  war  means  tears  and  ashes  and  blood. 
It  means  bonds  and  Imprisonments,  and  perhaps  death 
to  many  in  our  beloved  Brotherhood,  who,  I  have  con- 
fidence to  believe,  will  die  rather  than  disobey  God  by 
taking  up  arms  of  carnal  warfare.  ...  I  bow  my 
knees  in  prayer.  All  is  dark,  save  when  I  turn  my 
eyes  to  him.  He  assures  me  that  '  All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God.'  This  is  my 
hope  for  my  beloved  brethren  and  sisters,  and  their 
children.  He  alone  can  provide  for  their  safety  and 
support.  I  believe  he  will  do  it. 

'  This  extract  is  the  key  to  the  man's  heart,  and 
opens  to  a  view  of  its  experiences.  We  need  no  longer 
wonder  why  suspicion  marked  him  for  his  own,  and 
watched  him  with  a  jealous  eye.  But  he  was  left  to 


ELDER    JOHN     KLINE.  129 

go  undisturbed  until  Saturday,  April  5,  1862.  In  the 
forenoon  of  that  day  he  was  quietly  at  home.  In  the 
afternoon  he  was  arrested  and  conveyed  to  a  guard- 
house in  Harrisonburg,  Va.  His  place  was  in  the 
large  jury  room  upstairs,  where  he  found  several  other 
brethren  captives  with  himself. 

"  In  this  time  of  trial  Brother  Kline's  presence  of 
mind  did  not  in  the  least  desert  him.  The  daily  en- 
tries in  the  diary  are  in  a  hand  as  calm,  and  a  mind  as 
self-possessed,  as  if  nothing  had  gone  wrong.  He  and 
the  other  prisoners  were  held  captive  in  the  court- 
house nine  days,  Brother  Kline  himself  being  held  as 
prisoner  thirteen  days ;  most  of  which  time  was  very 
damp  and  cool,  with  snow  and  rain.  They  had  very  lit- 
tle fire,  and  scarcely  any  bedding  except  what  was 
supplied  by  the  relatives  and  friends.  Brother  Kline 
did  not  lose  interest  in  his  religious  work.  He  and  the 
brethren  with  him  held  regular  worship,  and  he 
preached  and  prayed  and  sang  in  orderly  service  both 
Sundays  he  passed  in  the  guardhouse.  He  left  liberal 
outlines  of  both  sermons.  He  was  held  as  a  prisoner, 
it  is  true,  but  the  Word  of  God  was  not  bound.  . 

"  Elder  John  Kline,  in  the  twenty-nine  years  prior 
to  his  tragic  death,  had  missed  being  present  at  but 
one  Annual  Meeting.  In  other  words,  he  had  been 
present  at  twenty-eight  Annual  Meetings  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  the  twenty-nine  years  of  his  public  ministry. 
This  is  one  proof  of  his  unflagging  devotion  to  his 
work,  based  upon  his  ever-present  sense  of  responsibil- 
ity before  God,  and  duty  toward  the  Brotherhood. 

"  And  this  brings  me  to  the  next  fact,  a  fact  not  gen- 
erally known  or  appreciated  by  those  who  miscon- 


tS      v 

5    2 


ELDER    D.    P.   SAYLER.  131 

strued  his  purpose.  Elder  John  Kline  was  Moderator 
of  the  Annual  Conference  of  the  Brethren  when  the 
war  broke  out,  and  this  relation  to  the  Brotherhood 
of  itself  imposed  upon  him  a  duty  to  be  present  at 
these  meetings ;  a  duty  to  which  he  felt  the  Lord  had 
called  him.  As  a  reflection  of  his  own  mind,  and  con- 
scious integrity  of  heart  and  purpose  within  him,  we 
close  this  sketch  with  the  last  words  of  his  farewell 
sermon  in  Indiana,  May  19,  1864,  from  Acts  4:  13,  as 
indicated  in  his  diary: 

'•Now,  Brethren- and  friends,  I  have  only  touched 
some  of  the  chords  in  the  beautiful  anthem  of  my 
theme.  I  now  leave  it  with  you,  hoping  that  you  may 
learn  every  note  in  it ;  and  by  the  sweet  music  of  a 
good  life  delight  the  ears  and  warm  the  hearts  of  all 
who  hear  its  rich  harmonies.  Possibly  you  may  never 
cee  my  face,  or  hear  my  voice  again.  I  am  now  on 
my  way  back  to  Virginia,  not  knowing  the  things  that 
shall  befall  me  there.  It  may  be  that  bonds  and  afflic- 
tions abide  me.  But  I  feel  that  I  have  done  nothing 
worthy  of  bonds,  or  of  death ;  and  none  of  these  things 
move  me;  neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto  myself, 
so  that  I  may  finish  my  course  with  joy,  and  the  min- 
istry which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  tes- 
tify the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.' " 

ELDER  D.  P.  SAYLER,  OF  MARYLAND. 

BY  D.    F.   STOUFFER. 

ELDER  D.  P.  SAYLER  was  born  in  Frederick  county, 
Maryland,  June  23,  1811,  connected  himself  with  the 
church  of  the  Brethren  at  Beaver  Dam,  Md.,  August 


Elder   D.  P.  Sayler. 


ELDER    D.     P.     SAYLER.  133 

20,  1837,  was  elected  to  the  ministry  September  30, 
1840,  and  ordained  elder  May  7,  1850. 

He  traveled  extensively  over  a  large  scope  of  coun- 
try, helping  to  organize  and  build  up  churches.  He 
with  Brother  Umstead,  a  man  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  power,  would  start  up  into  the  Valley 
of  Virginia,  and  remain  as  long  as  three  months  from 
home.  At  that  time  traveling  was  done  by  private 
conveyance.  Bidding  farewell  to  home  and  all  its 
duties,  and  committing  all  into  the  hands  of  his  family, 
as  a  farewell  address  he  would  say,  "  Now,  as  the  time 
belongs  to  the  Lord,  I  cannot  say  when  I  will  return." 
Thus  he  would  go,  always  expecting  to  meet  his 
own  traveling  expenses. 

Brother  Sayler  was  one  of  the  church's  strong  rep- 
resentatives during  the  (Civil)  war,  in  defense  of  her 
peace  principles,  and  was  frequently  called  up  before 
the  war  department  to  give  an  explanation  of  those 
endearing  principles.  By  his  extraordinary  power 
he  was  the  means  of  the  release  of  some  of  our  Breth- 
ren from  a  life  of  war. — From  Brethren's  Almanac, 


ELDER  JESSE  ROOP,  OF  MARYLAND. 

NEW  WINDSOR,  Ma,  JULY  15,  1904. 
ELD.  DANIEL  HAYS, 
BROADWAY,,  VA. 

DEAR  BROTHER  : — In  Gospel  Messenger  No  26,  un- 
der Brother  Stover's  "  India  Notes,"  he  requested  those 
who  knew  of  the  experience  of  Brethren  during  the 
Civil  War  in  America  to  let  him  hear  from  them.  We 
wrote  him  what  our  father,  Jesse  Roop,  at  that  time 


134  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

experienced.  He  gave  us  a  verbal  account  of  it,  when 
admonishing  us  to  live  up  to  duty. 

During  that  period,  both  his  duty  as  a  minister,  and 
peace  principles,  were  tested.  The  only  churchhouse 
then  in  the  congregation  was  located  near  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  Railroad.  The  Union  soldiers  camped 
in  the  grove  where  it  stood.  Our  ministers  had  to 
secure  a  pass  every  Sunday  to  get  through  their  camp 
into  the  church  to  preach.  Their  custom  at  that  time 
was  to  read  the  Scripture  in  course.  While  they  were 
not  confined  to  this  Scripture  always  for  a  text,  it 
was  commonly  so  used.  They  also  preached  in  turn, 
and  it  fell  to  father's  lot  to  preach  on  that  Sunday. 
The  18th  chapter  of  St.  John  was  read,  and  he  took 
his  text  from  the  36th  verse :  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then 
would  my  servants  fight."  He  told  the  soldiers  that 
if  both  sides  would  lay  down  their  armor,  and  enlist 
under  the  blood-stained  banner  of  King  Jesus,  they 
would  have  a  better  government  than  humanity  could 
ever  make. 

The  next  week  one  of  our  ministers  came  to  see 
father,  and  to  tell  him  it  would  not  be  safe  for  him  to 
come  to  that  appointment  for  a  while,  as  some  of  the 
soldiers  had  made  some  threats  of  violence  concerning 
his  person.  Father  told  him  that  he  would  not  do 
anything  rash,  but  when  his  time  came  to  fill  that  ap- 
pointment with  the  help  of  God  he  would  try  to  do  it. 
When  the  time  came  he  went.  The  officers  gave  him 
his  pass  as  usual.  He  went  into  the  church,  and  found 
it  nearly  full  of  soldiers.  After  taking  his  place,  he 
told  them  what  he  had  heard,  and  then  said  that  he 


AN     ANECDOTE.  135 

would  not  go  into  their  camp,  nor  persuade  any  of 
their  men  to  be  unfaithful,  but  when  they  came  into 
God's  house,  and  bared  their  heads  according  to  his 
command,  it  was  his  duty  as  a  servant  of  the  Lord 
to  preach  his  Gospel  to  them.  He  told  them  of  the 
duties  of  the  Christian,  and  he  never  enjoyed  a  more 
attentive  audience  anywhere.  They  always  rendered 
him  due  respect  when  he  went  through  their  camp. 
He  felt  the  more  encouraged  never  to  turn  from  duty. 
His  faith  was  strong,  believing  that  when  God  poured 
out  his  wrath  upon  the  disobedient,  he  would  pass 
over  his  people.  ALICE  ROOP. 

AN  ANECDOTE.— INDIANA  IN  1862. 

IN  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1862 — the  time 
which  tried  men's  faith — a  certain  very  noisy  indi- 
vidual from  a  neighboring  county  came  to  Indiana 
and  stood  in  a  public  place  and  read  from  a  paper 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  what,  he  said,  was  the 
"  oath  "  nonresistants  were  required  to  take  in  order 
to  secure  exemption  from  the  then  pending  "  draft." 
After  reading  the  same,  he  named  certain  brethren 
in  his  country  who,  he  said,  had  taken  said  "  oath," 
at  the  same  time  calling  them  rebels,  cowards,  etc., 
with  other  opprobrious  epithets.  At  last  a  bystander, 
inspired  with  sentiments  similar  to  his  own,  asked, 
"On  what  principles  do  they  claim  such  rights?" 
"  Because  they  pretend  to  believe  we  should  obey  the 
injunction  not  to  render  evil  for  evil,  and  if  smitten 
on  one  cheek  to  turn  the  other  also."  "  Well,"  said 
the  inquirer,  if  I  meet  Mr.  -  —  I  will  hit  him  a  big 
slap  on  the  cheek,  and  see  whether  he  will  stick  to 


136  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

the  principle."  A  modest  brother  here  interposed  with, 
"  What  if  he  should  turn  the  other?  "  Our  chivalrous 
individual  here  thought  best  not  to  answer — suppose 
he  feared  if  he  said  ''  strike  again,"  his  character  as 
a  man  would  suffer  discount,  and  if  the  contrary,  it 
would  be  admitting  the  advantage  of  nonresistance. — 
Prom  Brethren's  Almanac  for  1872. 

SHARPSBURG  MEETINGHOUSE, 
MARYLAND. 

BY    S.    F.    SANGER. 

THIS  meetinghouse  is  in  the  Manor  congregation, 
situated  one  mile  north  of  town,  and  was  built  in  1853. 
It  stood  within  the  lines  of  battle  fought  along  the 
banks  of  the  Antietam  Creek,  Sept.  17,  1862,  and  was 
partly  demolished  by  the  batteries  of  both  armies, 
as  shown  in  the  picture. 

After  the  battle  it  was  used  as  a  hospital  for  both 
the  "  blue  "  and  the  "  gray,"  and  is  a  silent  witness  of 
human  carnage  and  inhuman  warfare.  The  building 
was  repaired  in  1864,  since  which  time  it  has  been 
used  regularly  as  a  house  of  worship  by  our  Brethren. 
The  War  Department  proposed  to  purchase  the  house 
and  preserve  it  as  a  relic  of  this  bloody  event.  The 
offer,  however,  was  declined  by  our  Brethren,  believ- 
ing it  would  serve  a  better  purpose  by  using  it  as  a 
place  in  which  to  worship  the  Prince  of  Peace  and 
teach  the  doctrine  of  love  and  good  will.  A  tablet 
has  been  placed  on  the  outer  wall,  to  the  right  of  the 
door,  by  the  government,  which  gives  a  brief  history 
fif  the  meetinghouse  and  its  connection  with  this  bat- 
tle. This  tablet  is  read  bv  thousands  of  visitors  who 


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138  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

come  to  see  the  battle-ground,  and  the  "  green  mound  " 
where  a  loved  one  has  been  laid  away. 

Brother  Samuel  Moomawr, — who  donated  and  deed- 
ed to  our  Brethren,  the  church  lot  whereon  the  Sharps- 
burg  house  was  built  in  1852  or  '53, — was  born  in  1801. 
He  was  a  relative  of  Elder  B.  F.  Moomaw,  of  Bon- 
sacks,  Va.,  and  the  father  of  M.  Alice  Mumma,  now 
living  in  Sharpsburg.  He  was  living  within  the  lines 
of  battle  at  the  time  of  this  engagement.  His  dwelling 
house,  barn  and  nearly  every  building,  with  most  of 
their  contents,  were  laid  in  ashes  during  the  battle, 
leaving  scarcely  a  change  of  raiment  for  his  family. — 
Prom  Brethren's  Almanac,  1898. 

ELDER  DAXIEL  THOMAS. 

ELDER  DANIEL  THOMAS  lived  near  Spring  Creek, 
Rockingham  Co.,  Ya.,  and  his  home  was  a  place  where 
many  refugees  found  shelter,  comfort  and  advice.  He 
was  a  man  of  pleasant  countenance,  openhearted,  trust- 
worthy, and  during  the  Civil  War,  "  when  men's 
hearts  failed  them,"  where  could  they  find  a  better 
friend  and  counsellor  than  in  this  peaceful  home? 

Brother  Thomas  received  only  a  common  school 
elucation  and  never  pretended  to  be  more  than  what 
he  was.  He  is  an  example  of  what  may  be  attained 
in  letting  himself  be  used  by  the  grace  of  God  and  the 
Holy  Spirit,  without  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  edu- 
cation. He  was  not  at  all  times  correct  in  his  pronun- 
ciation, or  his  language ;  but  there  was  so  much  ease, 
freedom  and  beauty  in  his  sentences,  and  in  his  illus- 
trations, that  the  critic  himself  w?s  spellbound,  if  not 
pleased.  He  was  endowed  with  great  natural  abilities 


140  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

as  a  public  speaker.  His  countenance  was  open,  win- 
ning and  pleasant,  his  voice  silvery,  clear,  musical,  and 
well  modulated,  with  a  compass  that  reached  the  far- 
thest limit  of  an  audience.  He  took  hold  of  his  sub- 
ject without  hesitation,  and  in  his  own  practical  way 
dispensed  the  bread  of  life  in  rich  profusion  to  all 
around  him.  He  had  the  marvelous  gift  of  unravel- 
ling the  intricacies  of  his  text  without  any  apparent 
effort,  like  sunbeams  bursting  through  the  cloud  and 
driving  the  mists  away.  His  illustrations  were  at  his 
fingers'  end,  touching  briefly  yet  forcibly  each  point, 
and  dealing  mainly  with  the  practical  side  of  life. 

He  was  an  active  minister  in  the  years  before  the 
Civil  War,  going  on  preaching  tours  to  the  western 
part  of  the  State.  During  the  war  he  was  in  his  prime, 
and  as  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace  he 
was  one  of  the  leading  ministers  of  the  Brethren  in 
perhaps  the  most  densely  populated  church  in  the  Val- 
ley. In  the  autumn  of  1865,  he  was  with  Brother 
Solomon  Garber  near  Maysville,  W.  Va.,  where  many 
heard  him  for  the  first  time,  and  it  was  for  many  of 
them  the  last  time.  He  lived  but  a  few  years  after 
the  return  of  peace ;  but  the  simplicity  of  his  life,  and 
the  influence  of  his  public  ministry  still  linger  with 
those  who  knew  him  and  heard  him.  D.  H. 

ELDER  JOHN  A.  CLINE. 

JOHN  A.  CLINE  was  born  near  Sangersville,  Augusta 
Co.,  Va.,  August  9,  1833.  He  died  near  Stuarts  Draft, 
same  county,  Sept.  15,  1893.  He  united  with  the 
church  in  October.  1855,  and  was  elected  deacon  in 
1861,  and  to  the  ministry  in  1864.  He  was  then  living 


Home  of  Eld.  John  A.  Cline,  near  Stuarts  Draft,  Va. 


142  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

in  the  Middle  River  congregation.  He  for  a  while 
lived  in  the  Linville  Creek  church,  from  which  place  he 
moved  to  the  Mount  Yernon  congregation,  where  he 
was  ordained  in  1877.  He  was  a  prisoner  in  time  of 
the  Civil  War  four  weeks.  He  was  taken  from  his 
horse  and  marched  through  the  mud  to  Woodstock, 
then  to  Mt.  Jackson  and  to  Harrisonburg. 

He  selected  his  home  at  Stuarts  Draft,  Augusta 
country,  with  a  view  of  enlarging  his  field  of  usefulness. 
In  this  he  was  not  mistaken.  To  the  south  in  Rock- 
bridge  count}'  and  to  the  east  across  the  Blue  Ridge, 
his  labors  were  blessed  and  highly  appreciated.  On  a 
visit  with  him  to  Rockbridge  county,  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  accompany  him  from  house  to  house  during  the  day. 
and  to  meet  with  the  people  each  evening  in  the 
churchhouse  for  public  service.  With  what  interest 
he  entered  into  his  work !  He  was  a  gifted  singer  and 
delighted  to  get  the  members  of  a  family  around  him 
to  assist  in  singing  a  few  of  his  favorite  songs.  These 
songs  were  peculiarly  impressive  and  spiritual.  Then 
in  the  homes  of  the  afflicted  ones, — with  what  pathos 
he  prayed  with  them,  and  for  them !  He  entered  into 
their  trials  and  disappointments  with  the  deepest  sym- 
pathy and  touching  appeal,  and  held  up  before  the 
throne  of  grace  and  mercy,  the  heartaches,  the  anxious 
desires  of  the  afflicted  child  of  God,  in  a  way  that  was 
a  solace  to  the  mind  and  a  balm  to  the  soul. — Adapted 
from  Mary  C.  Clitic,  Stuarts  Draft,  Va.,  Feb.  8,  1906. 

SARAH  BOWMAN. 

SISTER  SARAH  Bow  MAX,  nee  Flory,  was  born  two 
miles  east  of  Dayton,  Rockingham  Co.,  Va.,  July  10, 


SARAH     BOWMAN.  143 

1839,  and  was  the  sixth  daughter  and  child  of  Michael 
and  Sarah  Hedrick  Flory.  She  is  a  sister  of  Elder 
John  Flory,  deceased,  of  near  Bridgewater,  Va.,  and 
of  Elder  Michael  Flory,  of  Girard,  Illinois. 

August  14,  1858,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Joseph  Bowman,  of  near  Harrisonburg,  a  son  of  John 
and  Rebecca  Wine  Bowman,  and  to  them  were  born 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  married  and  with 
families  of  their  own. 

In  the  summer  of  1887,  she  was  left  a  widow,  but 
resides  to-day  where  she  began  her  early  wedded  life, 
in  the  old  Bowman  homestead,  situated  on  the  Warm 
Spring  Turnpike,  near  Harrisonburg,  Va.  Devoted 
to  the  church,  and  generous  to  the  needy,  her  useful 
life  has  been  marked  by  deeds  of  kindness,  and  loving 
service  to  those  less  fortunate  than  herself.  It  was  her 
privilege  as  well  as  good  pleasure  to  be  among  the 
number  who  ministered  to  the  needs  of  that  faithful 
company  of  Brethren  and  others  of  like  belief  who 
suffered  bonds  and  imprisonment  for  Christ's  sake 
during  the  spring  of  1862.  Once  each  week,  some- 
times oftener,  she  would  carry  baskets  of  provisions 
to  the  prisoners,  she  herself  cooking  their  rice  allow- 
ance, and  then  adding  substantial  dishes  from  her  own 
store  of  good  things.  Sister  Bowman  recalls  with 
much  pleasure  many  of  the  loving  and  appreciative 
words  of  Elder  John  Kline.  REBECCA  BOWMAN. 

Harrisonburg,  Va.,  April  9,  /pod. 

CATHARINE  SHOWALTER,  OF  DAYTON,  VA. 

CATHARINE  SHOWALTER,  daughter  of  Elder  Jacob 
Miller,  and  granddaughter  of  Elder  Benjamin  Bow- 


Getting  the  Provisions  Ready. 

Sister    Sarah    Bowman    to    the    Left;    Sister    Catharine    Sho- 
walter  to  the  Right;   Sister  Sallie  Cline  in  the  Center. 


Carrying  Provisions  to  the  Prisoners. 

Sister  Sarah   Bowman   to   the  Right;   Sister  Catharine   Sho- 
walter  to  the  Left. 


146  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

man,  was  born  on  Linville  Creek,  Rockingham  Co., 
Va.,  May  11,  1839.  She  with  her  parents  moved  to 
Greenmount  in  1840.  She  was  married  to  Jackson 
Showalter  in  1854,  and  in  1858  she  with  her  husband 
united  with  the  church. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "  How  did  you  feel  when 
your  husband  left  home  for  the  West  in  1862?"  she 
replied,  "  O  we  were  perfectly  resigned.  We  knew 
that  if  they  staid  at  home  they  would  be  forced  to 
leave  home  in  some  way,  and  we  thought  if  they  could 
reach  a  place  of  safety,  we  at  home  could  get  along 
with  what  we  had.  But  it  was  not  long  after  they  left 
home  that  we  heard  of  their  capture ;  then  the  trouble 
came.  We  could  not  hear  often  or  learn  much  about 
them.  After  a  few  weeks,  we  learned  that  they  had 
reached  Harrisonburg  and  were  under  guard  in  the 
courthouse.  I  then  went  over  to  Uncle  George  Ho- 
gan's,  who  at  that  time  lived  above  Edom,  and  he  went 
with  me  to  Harrisonburg.  We  went  on  horseback, 
and  I  carried  a  basketful  of  provisions  with  me.  Sis- 
ter Xeiswander  was  there  also  to  see  her  son  Henry. 
The  guard,  Joseph  Miller,  who  took  us  into  the  court- 
house, was  a  nice  man.  We  remained  in  the  court- 
house about  two  hours.  The  prisoners  were  all  glad 
to  see  us  and  they  seemed  to  be  cheerful,  and  perfectly 
resigned  to  whatever  might  come.  I  asked  Jackson, 
my  husband,  whether  he  wanted  to  see  '  Sallie,'  our 
little  girl  at  home.  He  was  so  overcome  that  he  said 
he  did  not  wish  to  see  her  then.  I  saw  Brother  John 
Kline  there  with  the  other  prisoners,  and  he  seemed  to 
be  cheerful  and  happy.  A  few  days  after  my  husband 
was  released  and  had  come  home,  Brother  Kline  also 


The  "Old  Courthouse  "  as  it  was  in  Time  of  the  Civil  War. 


The  Courthouse  as  It  Now  is. 


PERPETUA    AND    FELICITAS.  149 

was  set  at  liberty  and  he  came  on  foot  to  my  father's 
house.  He  had  left  his  saddle  pockets  and  medicine 
in  Harrisonburg,  and  next  morning  Jackson  went  to 
town  for  them  on  horseback.  While  he  was  there 
the  Union  troops  came  through  the  streets,  and  some- 
one told  Jackson  that  the  soldiers  would  take  his  horse. 
He  ran  into  the  building,  got  the  saddle  pockets  and 
mounted  his  horse.  One  of  the  officers  came  up  to 
him  and  asked  him  what  he  was  doing.  He  told  him 
he  had  come  to  town  to  get  an  old  doctor's  saddle 
pockets,  who  had  been  in  prison,  and  that  he  himself 
had  been  held  as  a  prisoner  for  some  time  in  the  same 
place.  The  officer  then  permitted  him  to  return  home." 

D.   H. 

PERPETUA  AND  FELICITAS. 

IN  North  Africa,  the  closing  part  of  the  reign  of 
Septimus  Severus  (193-211),  among  the  martyrs  were 
two  women,  Perpetua  and  Felicitas,  who  were  exam 
pies  of  female  fortitude,  and  the  power  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith. 

Perpetua  was  an  amiable  lady  of  about  twenty-six, 
and  while  in  prison  her  father,  who  loved  her  tenderly, 
visited  her,  and  pointing  to  liberty  and  the  open  door 
of  her  prison,  tried  to  persuade  her  to  save  her  life  by 
renouncing  Christianity,  to  all  of  which  she  replied, 
"  The  will  of  God  must  be  done."  She  firmly  declared 
that  she  was  willing  to  forsake  all  for  Christ. 


Perpetua  and  Her  Father. 


MAGNANIMITY    OF    GREAT     MEN.  151 

THE  MAGNANIMITY  OF  GREAT  MEN. 

"  We  are  much  safer  in  the  hands  of  great  men  than  in 
the  power  of  the  lower  class" — B.  F.  Moomaw. 

THE  fame  of  great  men  is  no  greater  than  the  re- 
ality. As  the  shadow  may  be  greater  than  the  body 
itself,  so  the  fame  of  a  man  may  be  greater  than  the 
man  really  is.  But  this  is  not  the  case  with  the  truly 
noble  men  who  rose  above  selfishness,  above  sectional 
feeling,  and  partisan  bigotry  in  answer  to  every  appeal 
for  justice  and  protection. 

Such  a  man  was  Mr.  Allen  Spangler,  who  came  to 
the  rescue  of  Brother  Hutchison,  an  innocent  and  in- 
offensive man,  and  at  the  critical  moment  seized  the 
officer  and  compelled  him  to  order  the  guns  down 
that  were  aimed  at  Brother  Hutchison  by  the  soldiers 
who  had  orders  to  shoot  him  down  in  five  minutes. 
Such  a  man  was  Judge  Baxter,  of  Richmond,  Va., 
who  treated  the  Brethren  and  Mennonites  so  consider- 
ately, expressing  his  regrets  that  they  were  detained 
from  their  homes  by  the  pressure  of  business,  and  other 
unavoidable  circumstances.  Such  a  man  was  Alexan- 
der H.  Stephens  who,  when  Brother  Wrightsman 
presented  his  petition,  gave  the  matter  the  most  court- 
eous and  considerate  attention.  Such  a  man  was  Pres- 
ident Davis  who,  when  written  to  by  Brother  Moomaw 
concerning  the  unwarrantable  impressment  of  a  num- 
ber of  young  Brethren  into  the  army,  replied  to  Broth- 
er Moomaw  at  once,  stating  that  he  had  given  his  letter 
to  the  Secretary  of  War  for  attention,  and  the  major 
who  had  caused  the  trouble  was  called  to  Richmond 
to  give  account  of  his  procedure. 


152  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

These  men  at  the  time  little  realized  what  a  blessing 
they  were  instrumental,  under  God,  in  conferring  upon 
the  world,  in  the  rescue  of  these  helpless  ones  from 
prison  and  from  death,  some  of  whom  became  faithful 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  a  blessing  to  thousands  in 
many  fields, — and  what  reward  these  men  in  authority 
will  receive,  God  alone  knows. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  men  and  women  still 
live  who  are  wi-lling  to  lose  themselves  in  the  service 
of  others,  and  the  many  appeals  that  come  to  us  for 
help  and  to  rescue  the  perishing,  afford  opportunities 
for  high  attainment  and  the  development  of  the  noblest 
qualities  of  human  nature.  And  you,  my  young 
friends,  whose  path  of  life  lies  before  you  as  a  delight- 
ful spring  morning,  and  who  long  to  do  some  noble 
deed  that  will  enroll  your  name  upon  the  temple  of 
fame,  this  know,  that  if  it  ever  falls  to  your  lot  to  per- 
form such  a  deed  it  will  be  when  self  is  lost  in  your 
eagerness  to  help  others.  D.  11. 


THE  EXEMPTION  ACT  OF  CONFEDERATE 
CONGRESS. 

Dear  Sir: — The  Exemption  Act  of  Confederate 
Congress  approved  21st  of  April,  1862,  is  recorded  in 
Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies, 
Series  4,  Vol.  2,  pages  160-162. 

CHIEF  OF  RECORD  AND  PENSION  OFFICE, 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

D.  HAYS,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

BROADWAY,  VA. 


153 


The  following  is  a  copy  of  that  part  of  the  Exemp- 
tion Act  which  relates  to  ministers  and  nonresistants : 

The  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America 

do  enact  that every  minister  of  religion 

authorized  to  preach  according  to  the  rules  of  his  sect, 
and  in  the  regular  discharge  of  ministerial  duties,  and 
all  persons  who  have  been  and  now  are  members  of 
the  society  of  Friends,  and  the  association  of  Dunkards 
(Brethren),  Xazarenes,  and  Mennonites,  in  regular 
membership  in  their  respective  denominations ;  pro- 
vided members  of  the  society  of  Friends,  Nazarenes. 
Mennonites  and  Dunkards  shall  furnish  substitutes,  of 
pay  a  tax  of  ($500)  Five  Hundred  Dollars  each  into 

the  public  treasury are  hereby  exempted 

from  military  service  in  the  armies  of  the  Confederate 
States. 

National  Library,  Washington,  D.  C. 


154 


A    HYMN.  155 

A  HYMN  composed  and  sung  by  Brother  John  C. 
Moomaw  on  the  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  in  1861. 
My  wife  has  it  in  his  own  handwriting,  and  we 
thought  it  would  be  of  interest  and  suitable  material 
for  your  book.  S.  CRUMPACKER. 

Bonsacks,  Va. 

1.  O  Lord,  we  in  thy  presence  are, 
Fasting,  we  seek  thee  here  in  prayer. 
Wilt  thott  then  in  our  presence  be, 
And  grant  our  souls  to  meet  with  thee? 

2.  Our  happy  land,  the  exiles'  home, 
The  scene  of  strife  has  now  become. 
O  Lord,  if  it  thy  pleasure  be, 

From  war  and  bloodshed  set  us  free. 

3.  Lord,  thou  hast  been  the  widow's  friend, 
Then  wilt  thou  e'en  her  sons  defend? 
Command  the  sword  return  again 

Into  its  sheath  and  there  remain. 

4.  The  spacious  worlds  are  all  thine  own. 
Sure  thou  dost  rule,  and  thou  alone, — 
Then  make  the  earth  unto  thee  bow, 
Nor  say,  "O  Lord,  what  doest  thou?" 

5.  In  days  of  old  thou  didst  command 
The  rolling  wave  a  wall  did  stand; 
Thy  people,  Lord,  thou  then  didst  save, 
Their  foes  then  found  a  watery  grave. 

6.  Thy  people  in  Assyria's  day, 
Besieged  by  Syrian  forces  lay; 

They  prayed,  and  thou  didst  hear  their  cry, 
And  sent  an  angel  from  on  high. 

7.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  came  down, 
And  took  away  the  tyrant's  crown, 
His  army  all  at  break  of  day 

As  leaves  in  autumn's  forest  lay. 


156  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

8.  Then,  Lord,  we  to  thee  now  draw  near, 
In  confidence  that  thou  wilt  hear, 
When  we,  thy  people,  pray  to  thee, 

O  Lord,  from  tyrants  set  us  free. 

9.  Roll  back  the  mighty  torrent  wave, 
That  threatens  to  be  freedom's  grave, 
And  cause  that  ail  the  world  shall  own 
That  thou  art  God,  and  thou  alone. 

10.  O  may  this  happy  land  then  be 
From  war  and  strife  again  set  free, 
That  nations'  strife  and  wars  may  cease, 
In  justice,  right  and  endless  peace. 

11.  O  Lord,  destroy  the  cruel  sword, 
And  in  its  stead  supply  thy  Word; 
Give  grace  to  soften  every  heart 
And  grant  thy  mercies  to  impart. 

12.  Our   cause   to   thee   we   now   resign, 
Nor  would  we  alter  thy  design. 

In  sweet  submission  all  in  one, 

We  say,  "  Our  Father's  will  be  done." 

THE  PRISONER'S  SONG. 

Elder  Daniel  Miller,  of  Weyer's  Cave,  Ya.,  sends 
us  a  copy  of  a  hymn  composed  by  the  prisoners  in 
Mt.  Jackson.  Brother  John  Kline  put  the  chorns  to 
it  while  they  were  in  the  old  courthouse  in  Harrison- 
bur^.  The  hymn  originally  consisted  of  nine  stanzas, 
four  of  which,  with  some  changes  in  accent  and  rhythm, 
are  given  with  the  chorus  in  the  following  tune  com- 
posed by  Brother  A.  D.  Lair,*  and  arranged  by  Brother 
J.  M.  Showalter.  The  tune  is  from  the  "  National 
Singer,"  by  permission  of  A.  J.  Showalter,  Dalton,  Ga. 

D.    II. 

*Hro.  Lair  wrote  the  music  in  1885  while  sitting  under  a 
large  chestnut  tree  at  the  home  of  Bro.  John  A.  Showalter, 
near  Cherry  Grove,  Rockingham  Co.,  Va.  Bro.  Lair  now  lives 
at  Mexico,  Ind. 


The  Prisoners'  Song. 


Arr.  by  D.  H. 


A.  D.  LAIR. 


1.  We       are  in  pris  -  on     close   con  -  fined,  But  this      not 

2.  We     know  it  is    God's    ho   -  ly      will.  Our  fel  -   low 

3.  But     there  is  One   who  reigns  on     high,  He  al  -  ways 

4.  Then    let  us  all    the    Lord    o    -    bey,  And  from      the 


one     of      us  should  mind,   For  Christ  has    told    us      in      His  word, 
men  we    shall  not    kill;     That    we   should  lead   a   Chris  tian    life, 
will    to      us      be     nigh, — He     will   from   pris  -  on     us       re  -  deem, 
truth  we'll  nev  -  er    stray;   So      that    we      all   may  stand  the    test, 


That  we  should  al-ways  trust  the  Lord. 

And    not    en- gage  in     war  and  strife.  WUall          home 

If        we    will  put  our  trust  m  Him. 

And  when   we   die,  go  home  to  rest. 


treed,        A        ho  -  ly     life   with  God     to     lead. — Yes,  we'll     go 

Ix—  J  - 

i--%!_._      £  f~m  £.  *•  *•_-£-' 

~:S»±E£=£E£=£Ep 
— "-- — ^ — v — v — v — V 


^ 


Music  from  "National  Singer,"  by  per.  A.  J.  Showalter,  Dalton,  Ga. 
*Stanzas  composed  by  eighteen  prisoners  in  Mt.  .Jackson,  Va.,  in  1862 
chorus  was  written  by  John  Kline,  in  Harrisonburg,  Va. 


X 
The 


The  Prisoners'  Song. 


— I <. 1 p u- s 

-—I-: — -n — * — vl — ~n — -r- 
r3! 1 1 — ~ — 3 — «i—  - 


home,  and  that    to  spend    Our  days    in  peace   till    life  shall  end. 


Pilgrim  Strangers. 


D.  H. 


G.    B.    HOLBINGER. 


1.  We     are  a  band    of    pil  -  grim  stran  -  gers,  A  -  lone      in 

2.  We  know  that    Je  -  sus  taught  us      ev    -    er  A      ho  -    ly 

3.  It      was  not  fear    of    man    to    seize      us  That  turned  us 

4.  But  there  is  One  who  loves  us      ev    -  er,  He      al  -  ways 

5.  Then  let  us  all    the  test    en  -  dure,  And     al  -  ways 


pris  -  on  here  we   stay;    Our  homes  were  full  of  press-ing  dan  -  gers, 
life  with  God  to    live,    That  we  should  strive  nor  fight,  no,  nev-  er, 
from  our  on-ward  way;     We   saw     the  guid-ing  hand   of    Je  -  sus, — 
will    to    us    be    nigh;    No  foe,    nor  fear  on  earth  can  sev  -  er 
trust  our  Fa-ther's  love,  Then  when    our  pil-grim  days  are    o  -  ver, 


m 


-&. 


REFRAIN. 


We'll  stand  for  Je  -  sus 


And    we    for  safe  -  ty  went  a  -  way. 
But     un  -  to  each    a  kindness  give. 
His      lov  -  ing  will    we    all     o  -  bey. 
Our  souls  from  love  to    God  most  high. 
We'll  ev  -  er  reign  with  Him  a  -  bove. 

£  £1 

j&=k-K-k-4- 

w  ^ 

*Music  by  Geo.  B.  Holsinger,  Bridgewater,  Va.,  Feb.  86,  1900,  expressly  for 
this  work. 


Pilgrim  Strangers. 


o'er  and  o'er,  He    saves  us  now  and     bids  us  come;    We'll  stand  for 


_— — — —  — — p^_^^ — — — ^— — 


:fctz=^=t==tz 


4 | — 


dt&=s=JM^=d= 
KBc=E5Efe=£5 


r 


^^^^§=H 


Je  -  sus    ev  -  er  -   more,     He     will     for  safe-  ty  bring  us   home. 

:=£=£=] 


D.   H. 


The  Coming  Day. 


D.  H.    Arr.  by  G.  B.  H. 


1.  0     the  bright  -  est    day        is     the     com  -  ing      day, — We   will 

2.  0      ye     wear  -  y     ones,   when  that  bright   day   comes,  We   will 

3.  Hear  the     an  -  gels'  song,     and    the  strain   pro  -  long,    We   will 


^=*=- 


all  go  home  in  the  morn  -  ing,  Christ,  the  Morning  Star,  spreads  His 
all  go  home  in  the  morn  -ing,  On  the  mountain's  height,  see  that 
all  go  home  in  the  morn-  ing,  "Peace  on  earth,  good-will"  all  the 


beams  a  -  far,  We  will  all  go  home  in  the  morn  -  ing. 
glo  -  rious  light,  We  will  all  go  home  in  the  morn  -  ing. 
world  shall  fill,  We  will  all  go  home  in  the  morn  -  ing. 


fc=3 


- 

^1=^^^E 


Send  the  ti  -  dings  free  o  -  ver  land  and  sea,  We  will 
Lo,  the  Prince  of  Peace  gives  the  world  re  -  lease,  We  will 
And  the  Vic  -  tor's  crown,  by  the  faith  -  ful  worn,  We  will 


*That  was  a  glorious  day  for  us  when  Benjamin  Byerly  came  with  the  officers 
and,  opening  the  prison  door,  he  exclaimed:  "Now  you  can  all  go  home!" — From 
Simeon  Heatwole,  Dayton,  Va. 


The  Coming  Day. 


go  home  in 
go  home  in 
go  home  in 


the  morn  -  ing,  And  your  voi  -  ces  raise  in  a 
the  morn  -  ing,  When  our  work  is  done,  and  His 
the  morn  -  ing,  Je  -  sus  bids  us  come  to  our 


song  of  praise,  We  will  all  go  home  in  the  morn  -  ing. 
king  -  dom  come,  We  will  all  go  home  in  the  morn  -  ing. 
long  sought  home,  We  will  all  go  '  home  in  the  morn  -  ing. 


PART   FOUR 


NONRESISTANCE;  OR,  THE  SPIRIT 
OF  CHRISTIANITY  RESTORED 


BY    W.    C.    THURMAN. 


"Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword?" 

"All    they   that    take    the    sword,   shall   perish  with   the 
sword." 


NONRESISTANCE 

PUBLISHED  IN  1862 

[Abridged   and   corrected   according    to    notes    of    Bro.    Teeter 
and   Bro.    Puterbaugh.] 

NOTE. 

IN  the  month  of  October,  1862,  I  called  at  the  house 
of  Brother  Samuel  Cline,  Augusta  county,  Virginia. 
He  gave  me  a  history  of  the  capture  and  imprisonment 
of  some  of  our  Brethren  and  Mennonites  that  at- 
tempted to  escape  military  duty  on  account  of  their 
peace  principles.  While  they  were  in  prison  in  Rich- 
mond, Judge  Baldwin,  of  Staunton,  who  was  Speaker 
of  the  House  at  that  time,  wrote  to  Brother  Cline  to 
send  him  the  best  thing  he  had  on  nonresistance. 
Brother  Cline  at  once  sent  him  W.  C.  Thurman's 
pamphlet  on  our  Peace  Principles.  A  bill  was  passed 
releasing  each  one  upon  the  payment  of  $500,  and 
Judge  Baldwin  afterward  wrote  to  Brother  Cline  that 
Thurman's  pamphlet  did  the  work. 

SAMUEL  DRIVER. 

Barren  Ridge,  Va, 


164 


PREFACE 


THE  following  Treatise  on  Nonresistance  was 
written  by  the  author  a  short  time  before  he  became 
a  member  of  our  fraternity.  His  views  on  peace 
principles  being  identical  with  ours  was  one  of  the 
causes  which  led  him  to  unite  with  us.  The  work 
was  written  and  published  during  the  Civil  War,  1862, 
and  was  one  means  of  bringing  the  peace  prin- 
ciples of  the  church  before  the  authorities  in  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  and  for  that  reason  it  is  considered  proper 
to  give  it  in  part  a  place  in  this  volume.  D.  H. 


165 


INTRODUCTION 


WHEN  gliding  on  with  the  smooth  tide  of  popular 
opinion,  all  seemed  to  lend  a  smile — I  knew  not  a  foe. 
But  since  the  time  has  come  which  tries  men's  souls 
as  to  whether  they  are  really  the  servants  of  Christ — 
all  turn  against  me.  .  .  .  But  having  had  no  idea  of 
preparing  a  work  for  the  press,  when  first  I  took  my 
pen,  I  intended  only  to  write  out  these  for  my  own 
benefit  to  guide  my  feet  into  the  straight  and  narrow 
way  which  leads  unto  life ;  and  to  put  it  in  a  form 
suitable  to  leave  in  the  hands  of  my  dear  mother  and 
loved  friends,  that  they  might  know  my  life  was  lost 
for  Christ's  sake,  should  the  want  of  a  provision  in  our 
law  for  those  who  think  "  We  ought  to  obey  God, 
rather  than  man,"  cause  me  to  have  to  share  a  place 
with  the  Christian  martyrs. 


lee 


AN    INQUIRY  AS  TO    WHETHER  THE 

CHRISTIAN   MAY  USE  THE 

SWORD 

THOUGH  I  have  during  the  last  ten  years  so  often 
declared  the  use  of  the  sword  to  be  incompatible  with 
the  Gospel  dispensation,  and  all  retaliation  for  in- 
juries received  contrary  to  that  meek  and  lowly  spirit 
of  Christ,  which,  if  a  man  have  not,  he  is  none  of 
his  (Rom.  8:9),  since  those  whom  we  regarded  as 
faithful  servants  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ, 
leaving  the  quiet  fold  of  "  The  Prince  of  Peace,"  have 
resorted  to  the  use  of  the  sword,  and  are  as  deeply 
involved  in  this  bloody  war  as  those  who  have  made 
no  pretension  to  the  Christian  religion ;  it  becomes 
necessary  to  give  the  matter  a  second  investigation 
and  see  if  it  may  not  be  possible  tfiat  we  have  been 
in  error;  seeing  the  wise  and  learned  are  against  us. 
But  if,  on  a  more  thorough  investigation  'of  the  matter, 
it  is  discovered  that  we  are  not  mistaken  as  to  the 
teaching  of  our  Lord  and  his  apostles,  we  must  cling 
to  the  truth  and  follow  their  footsteps,  though  opposed 
by  all  the  world. 

And  since  the  larger  body,  even  of  the  Christian 
church,  is  at  the  present  day  governed  and  controlled 
more  by  the  force  of  custom  than  the  Bible,  we  should 
be  but  little  biased  by  the  opinion  of  others  in  our 
investigation :  and  calling  "  no  man  father  upon  the 
earth,"  Matt.  23:9,  we  shall  endeavor  to  follow  the 

167 


168  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

teachings  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  only;  for  the 
"  holy  scriptures  are  able  to  make  its  wise  unto  salva- 
tion," 2  Tim.  3:  15,  and  not  the  wisdom  of  man,  "  for 
the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God."  1  Cor.  1 :  21. 

That  the  Christian  religion  should  be  neither  propa- 
gated nor  defended  by  the  use  of  the  sword,  is  a 
settled  question,  at  least  among  all  Protestant  churches. 
The  only  point  of  controversy  is,  as  to  whether  those 
who,  "putting  off  the  old  man  with  his  deeds, ".have 
been  "born  of  the  Spirit"  of  "  the  Prince  of  Peace," 
whose  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  may  leave  the 
peaceable  reign  of  Christ,  and  conform  so  much  to 
the  ways  of  this  sin-polluted  world  as  to  take  up 
arms  in  defense  of  earthly  possessions. 

But,  since  all  admit  that  we  are  not  to  use  the 
sword  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  nor  even  as  a  means  of 
self-defense  where  it  is  drawn  against  us  because  of 
our  religion ;  why  should  it  be  a  question  of  con- 
troversy as  to  whether  we  may  use  the  sword  in 
defense  of  earthly  things?  Is  there  in  all  the  Bible 
the  least  appearance  of  authority  for  supposing  the 
Christian  to  have  a  better  right  to  use  the  sword  in 
defense  of  that  which  he  is  required  to  forsake, — 
Matt.  19:21,  27,  29;  Luke  12:33;  Acts  2:45,  4:34, 
— than  to  obtain  that  for  which  he  has  forsaken 
all?  Matt.  13:  46.  And  is  it  not  strange  that  this  doc- 
trine, which  is  too  absurd  to  be  worthy  of  controversy, 
has  become  so  universal? 

Our  Lord  has  positively  forbidden  retaliation.  "  I 
say  unto  you,  that  you  resist  not  evil."  Matt.  5 :  39. 
But  this  being  too  humiliating  for  the  carnal  mind, 
which  "  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,"  man  in  his 


RESIST     NOT     EVIL.  169 

wisdom,  since  the  Christian  religion  has  become 
popular,  ingeniously  shields  himself  from  obedience 
to  this  soul-humiliating  law  of  Christ  by  saying  that 
this  prohibition  is  to  be.  restricted  to  those  evils  only 
which'  are  imposed  on  us  because  of  our  religion:  in 
proof  of  which  they  refer  us  to  the  words  of  Paul : 
"  But  if  any  provide  not  for  his  own,  especially  for 
those  of  his  own  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and 
is  worse  than  an  infidel."  1  Tim.  5 : 8.  And  thus 
they  "  by  good  words  and  fair  speeches  deceive  the 
hearts  of  the  simple."  Rom.  16:  18.  But  is  it  not 
strange  that  they  have  so  completely  deceived  the 
hearts  of  the  simple  as  to  make  them  believe  that  while 
they  have  no  right  to  defend  by  force  of  arms  that 
which  is  of  more  real  worth  than  all  the  world,  they 
may  yet  defend  that  which  is  of  so  little  worth  that 
our  Lord  regarded  it  as  even  unworthy  of  thought 
(Matt.  6:25):  yea,  requires  us  to  forsake.  Luke 
14 :  33.  "  For  all  these  things  do  the  nations  of  the 
world  seek  after."  Luke  12 :  30.  The  express  lan- 
guage of  him  who  has  become  "  the  Author  of  eternal 
salvation  unto  all  them  that  obey  him"  (Heb.  5:9) 
is  this,  "  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  resist  not  evil."  Matt. 
5  :  39.  And  I  appeal  to  the  honesty  of  every  intelligent 
man  to  say  what  there  is,  either  in  the  language  as 
used  by  our  Lord,  or  in  the  connection  in  which  these 
words  are  found,  from  which  we  may  draw  the  least 
inference  that  it  is  to  be  restricted  to  those  injuries 
only  which  are  imposed  because  of  our  religion.  If 
this  had  been  our  Lord's  meaning,  would  he  not  have 
said  so?  And  since  he  has  not  said  so,  who  is  wise 
enough  to  know  that  this  was  his  meaning?  .... 


170  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

To  justify  the  use  of  the  sword,  we  are  told  that 
the  Jews  were  often  involved  in  war. 

But  what  was  the  object  of  the  Jewish  wars  but 
to  establish  and  defend  their  religion?  And  yet  you 
admit  the  Christian  must  neither  defend  nor  enforce 
his  religion  by  the  use  of  the  sword.  And  in  this 
admission  you  virtually  acknowledge  that  the  use  of 
the  sword  by  the  Jews  gives  the  Christian  no  license 
to  use  the  sword. 

The  Jews  were  in  possession  of  an  earthly  kingdom, 
"  a  worldly  sanctuary  .  .  ...  and  carnal 
ordinances,  imposed  on  them  until  the  time  of  refor- 
mation." Heb.  9 :  10.  Hence  they  used  carnal 
weapons  of  warfare  in  defense  of  their  religion. 

But  "  he  who  is  born  of  the  Spirit  "  is  no  more  "  of 
the  world"  (John  17:  16);  hence  "the  weapons  of 
our  warfare  are  not  carnal  "  (2  Cor.  10:4)  ;  for  "  if 
any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature,  old  things 
are  passed  away,  behold  all  things  are  become  new." 
2  Cor.  5:17. 

"  If,"  says  the  Prince  of  Peace,  "  my  kingdom  were 
of  this  world,  then  would  my  servants  fight, 
but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence."  John  18 :  36. 
So  they  fight  not.  Hence  when  the  land  of  their 
fathers,  their  native  home  and  country,  was  invaded 
by  the  Romans,  they  were  forbidden  to  take  up  arms, 
but,  leaving  all  earthly  treasures  behind,  were  required 
to  "  flee  to  the  mountains."  Luke  21 : 21. 

This,  by  the  world,  would  be  considered  ignoble, 
unmanly  and  cowardly.  He  who  would  at  the  present 
day  carry  out  the  spirit  of  this  precept  would  be 


AVENGE     NOT     YOURSELVES.  171 

despised  as  one  unworthy  to  live ;  "  for  the  carnal 
mind  is  enmity  against  God,  for  it  is  not  subject  to 
the  laws  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be."  Rom.  8:7. 
Therefore  he  that  would  at  a  time  like  this  have 
worldly  friends,  is  compelled,  in  disobedience  to 
Christ,  to  take  up  arms.  "  Whosoever  therefore  will 
be  a  friend  of  the  world,  is  the  enemy  of  God." 
James  4 : 4. 

The  Mosaic  dispensation,  being  that  of  justice  be- 
tween man  and  man  in  case  of  injuries,  the  law  en- 
joined retaliation:  "life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth 
for  tooth  "  (Exod.  21 :  23,  24)  was  required.  But  the 
Christian  dispensation  being  that  of  grace,  all  retalia- 
tion is  forbidden.  Hence  the  Prince  of  Peace,  in  giv- 
ing his  law,  refers  to  the  Mosaic  thus,  "  It  hath  been 
said,  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth:  but 
I  say  unto  you,  that  you  resist  not  evil,"  by  returning 
evil  for  evil.  "  But  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy 
right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also."  Matt. 
5:38,  39. 

That  the  apostles  taught  this  same  doctrine,  we 
notice  that  Paul,  more  than  thirty  years  after,  enjoined 
the  same  precept  upon  the  church  at  Rome,  saying: 
"  Recompense  to  no  man  evil  for  .evil."  Rom.  12 :  17. 
And  again  he  enforces  this  law,  saying :  "  Dearly 
beloved,  avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather  give  place 
unto  wrath:  for  it  is  written,  Vengeance  is  mine,  I 
will  repay  saith  the  Lord.  Therefore,  if  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink;  for 
in  so  doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head. 
Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good."  Rom.  12:  19-21.  Peter  also  enjoins  the  same 


172  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

law,  "  Not  rendering  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  rail- 
ing: but  contrariwise,  blessing:  knowing  that  ye  are 
thereunto  called  that  ye  should  inherit  a  blessing." 
1  Pet.  3  :  9. 

We  will  now  inquire  as  to  the  example  of  Christ, 
in  regard  to  this  his  own  law  of  nonresistance.  We 
learn  from  Matt.  26 : 6,  7,  that  the  Jews  spit  in  his 
face,  and  buffeted  him ;  and  others  "  smote  him  with 
the  palms  of  their  hands^":  "who,  when  he  was  re- 
viled, reviled  not  again :  when  he  suffered,  he 
threatened  not,  but  committed  himself  to  him  that 
judgeth  righteously,"  1  Pet.  2:23.  Instead  of  re- 
taliation, or  resisting  those  who  were  about  to  slay 
him,  he  prayed,  saying,  "  Father,  forgive  them ;  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do,"  Luke  23 :  34,  thus 
"  leaving  us  an  example,  that  ye  should  follow  his 
steps."  1  Pet.  2:  21.  "  Now  if  any  man  have  not  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his."  Rom.  8:9. 

The  example  of  the  apostles  in  obedience  to  this  law 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  is  as  follows :  "  Being  reviled, 
we  bless ;  being  persecuted,  we  suffer  it ;  being  de- 
famed, we  entreat."  1  Cor.  4:12,  13.  When  "buf- 
feted," they  bore  it.  1  Cor.  4:11.  When  beaten, 
instead  of  retaliation,  they  rejoiced  "  that  they  were 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame "  for  Jesus'  sake. 
Acts  5:41.  When  Paul  and  Silas  received  "many 
stripes,"  instead  of  exhibiting  a  spirit  of  revenge,  they 
"prayed  and  sang  praises  unto  God."  Acts  16:25. 

"  Seeing  that  many  glory  after  the  flesh,"  says  the 
apostle  Paul,  "  I  will  glory  also."  But  in  what  did  he 
glory?  In  those  things  in  which  the  world  glories? 


CHRIST'S   KINGDOM.  1/3 

No!  just  the  reverse.    He  gloried  in  that  he  had  "  five 

times  received  forty  stripes,  save  one."    2  Cor.  11 :  24. 

******* 

But  say  those  who,  "  by  good  words  and  fair 
speeches,  deceive  the  hearts  of  the  simple,"  Rom. 
16:  18,  we  worship  that  same  unchangeable  God  that 
the  Jews  worshiped,  and  if  it  was  right  for  them  to  use 
the  sword,  it  is  not  wrong  for  us.  Now  we  know  that 
it  is  true  that  God  changes  not;  but  we  must  also 
notice  the  difference  between  the  dispensation  of 
justice  and  that  of  grace. 

The  Jews,  like  other  nations,  were  in  possession  of 
an  earthly  kingdom,  which  was  one  of  those  powers 
"  ordained  of  God,"  as  "  the  minister  of  God,  a  re- 
venger to  execute  wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil." 
Rom.  13:4.  But  "  what  if  God,  willing  to  show  his 
wrath,  and  make  his  power  known,  endured  with 
much  longsuffering  the  vessels  of  wrath,  fitted  to 
destruction  ?  "  Rom.  9 :  22.  What  has  this  to  do  with 
the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  whose  "  kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world  "  ?  Now  you  admit  that  during  the 
old  dispensation  the  "new  and  living  way"  (Heb. 
10:20)  "into  the  holiest  of  all  was  not  as  yet  made 
manifest."  How  absurd,  then,  to  offer  the  example 
of  the  Jews  to  prove  that  one  who  is  dead  to  the 
"  rudiments  of  the  world  "  may  conform  so  much  to 
the  ways  of  the  world,  as  to  use  the  sword. 

Was  it  not  declared,  saying,  "Behold,  the  days 
come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  make  a  new  covenant 
with  the  house  of  Israel"?  Jer.  31:31.  And  since 
this  new  covenant  is  "  not  according  to  the  covenant  " 


174  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

as  "  made  with  their  fathers  "  (Jer.  31 : 32),  how  can 
we  there  learn  the  Christian  duty? 

But  even  under  that  dispensation,  when  the  sword 
was  allowed  for  people,  as  "  God's  ministers,  to 
execute  wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil,"  the  Lord 
said  unto  David,  "  Thou  shalt  not  build  an  house  for 
my  name,  because  thou  hast  been  a  man  of  war,  and 
hast  shed  blood."  1  Chron.  22 : 8.  And  since  the 
house  he  was  forbidden  to  build  was  but  a  type  of  the 
spiritual  house  of  God,  ought  the  spiritual  house,  the 
holy  "  temple  of  God,"  to  be  denied  by  hands  stained 
with  blood?  1  Cor.  3:17.  Or  can  a  man  of  war 
be  a  subject  of  the  Prince  of  Peace?  When  Isaiah, 
through  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  saw  this  peaceable  reign 
of  Christ,  he  said :  "  Every  battle  of  the  warrior  is 
with  confused  noise,  and  garments  rolled  in  blood ; 
but  this  shall  be  with  burning  and  fuel  of  fire.  For 
unto  us  a  child  is  born ;  unto  us  a  Son  is  given ;  and 
the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulders ;  and  his 
name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The 
Mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince 
of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and 
peace  there  shall  be  no  end"  (Isa.  9:5-7);  for 
"  he  shall  judge  among  the  nations,  and  shall 
rebuke  many  people ;  and  they  ( who  receive  his 
rebuke)  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares, 
and  their  spears  into  pruninghooks :  [and  this, 
i.  e.,  the  Christian]  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword 
against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more," 
Isa.  2 :  4.  Hence  the  Prince  of  Peace,  in  the  beginning 
of  his  reign,  forbade  the  use  of  the  sword  in  his  king- 
dom by  commanding  him  who  had  the  honor  of 


THE    SWORD.  175 

opening  to  the  world  this  reign  of  peace,  to  "  put  up 
his  sword  into  his  place," — at  the  very  time  which,  of 
all  times,  appeared  to  him  to  be  the  most  important 
to  use  it ;  informing  him  that  "  all  they  that  take  the 
sword,  shall  perish  with  the  sword."  Matt.  26:  52. 

But,  perhaps  we  are  going  on  too  fast ;  let  us  pause 
and  think  a  moment.  These  words  are  either  true  or 
untrue.  Our  Lord  either  meant  what  he  said,  or  he 
meant  something  else ;  and  if  he  did  not  mean  what  he 
said,  then  what  did  he  mean  ?  When  he  said,  "  Except 
ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish"  (Luke  13:5), 
we  believe  he  meant  just  what  he  said.  And  are 
those  who  use  the  sword  to  share  the  same  fate  with 
those  who  do  not  repent  ?  As  all  must  perish  who  are 
not  saved  by  Christ,  so  none  can  be  saved  by  him 
who  refuses  to  obey  him.  Hear  his  express  language : 
"  Not  everyone  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doeth 
the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Therefore,  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine, 
and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish 
man,  which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand, 
and  it  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it."  Matt. 
7:21-27.  Now,  one  of  the  "sayings"  to  which  our 
Lord  had  reference,  was  this  :  "  /  say  unto  you,  that  yc 
resist  not  evil."  Matt.  5 :  39.  Now  I  ask,  Can  we  use 
the  sword  without  disobedience  to  our  Lord?  So  the 
use  of  the  sword  must  be  one  of  those  carnal  ordi- 
nances with  "  which  all  that  use  are  to  perish  with 
the  using."  Col.  2 : 22.  "  For  all  they  that  take  the 
sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword."  Matt.  26 :  52. 


176  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

"  He  that  killeth  with  the  sword  must  be  killed  with 
the  sword.  Here  is  the  patience  and  the  faith  of  the 
saints."  Rev.  13 :  10.  "  For  with  the  same  measure 
that  ye  mete  withal  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." 
Luke  6 :  38. 

"  Woe  to  thee  that  spoilest,  and  thou  wast  not 
spoiled;  and  dealest  treacherously,  and  they  dealt  not 
treacherously  with  thee!  when  thou  shalt  cease  to 
spoil,  thou  shalt  be  spoiled ;  and  when  thou  shalt  make 
an  end  to  deal  treacherously  they  shall  deal  treacher- 
ously with  thee."  Isa.  33:1 

ii  Are  you  who  urge  the  use  of  the  sword,  on  the 
ground  that  the  Jews  did  use  it,  willing  to  share  the 
fate  of  the  Jews?  By  the  sword  their  kingdom  was 
established,  and  by  the  sword  their  kingdom  was 
destroyed.  By  the  sword  they  led  others  into  cap- 
tivity, and  by  the  sword  they  were  led  into  captivity. 
They  have  never  departed  from  the  use  of  the  sword, 
and  "  the  sword  shall  never  depart  from  them."  But 
"  we  received  a  kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved." 
Heb.  12 : 28.  The  kingdom  of  peace,  being  founded 
on  the  principle  of  love,  can  never  be  destroyed,  for 
"  love  worketh  no  evil  to  his  neighbor ;  "  hence  there 
are  no  ills  to  be  returned  by  the  revenging  hand  of 
justice. 

That  the  first  Christians,  as  foretold  by  the  prophets, 
did  cease  from  war,  Paul  says,  "  We  do  not  war  after 
the  flesh."  2  Cor.  10:3.  That  they  use  neither  the 
sword,  nor  any  other  carnal  weapon  of  warfare,  he 
declares  "  the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal." 
2  Cor.  10:4 

The  lamb-like  subjects  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  are 


THE    WISDOM     FROM    ABOVE.  177 

required  to  love  even  their  enemies,  which  celestial 
love  consumes  and  destroys  forever  the  spirit  of  war ; 
for  that  meek  and  lowly  spirit  of  love,  which  "  beareth 
all  things"  (1  Cor.  13:7),  "  worketh  no  ill  to  his 
neighbor."  Rom.  13  :  10. 

When  this  Prince  of  Peace  made  his  appearance  on 
earth,  he  was  introduced  to  the  people  of  God  by  "  a 
multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  praising.  God,  and 
saying,  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth 
peace,  good  will  towards  men."  Luke  2 :  13,  14. 
Therefore  "the  kingdom  of  God  is  righteousness  and 
peace"  (Rom.  14:  17),  the  very  reverse  of  war  and 
wickedness. 

"  God  hath  called  us  to  peace  "  (1  Cor.  7:  15),  not 
to  strife;  for  the  Christian's  God,  into  whose  image 
and  likeness  he  must  be  transformed,  is  "  the  God  of 
love  and  peace"  (2  Cor.  13:  11),  and  not  "the  god 
of  battle."  In  war  there  is  "  hatred,  variance,  emula- 
tion, wrath,  strife,  envyings,  murders."  And  "  they 
which  do  such  things  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God."  Gal.  5:21 

"  But  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first  pure, 
then  peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated;  full 
of  mercy  and  good  fruits ;  and  the  fruit  of  righteous- 
ness is  sown  in  peace,  of  them  that  make  peace." 
James  3:17,  18. 

The  Christian  is  required  to  "  follow  peace  with 
all  men,  and  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see 
the  Lord."  Heb.  12:14.  And  can  those  who  take 
just  the  opposite,  that  is,  follow  war  and  unrighteous- 
ness, ever  see  the  Lord? 

In  war  there  is  a  continual  retaliation,  or  returning 


178  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

of  evil  for  evil.  But  the  Christian  can  "  recompense 
to  no  man  evil  for  evil"  (Rom.  12:17);  hence  he 
cannot  go  to  war.  In  war  men  avenge  the  evils  im- 
posed by  other  nations,  which  the  Christian  is  for- 
bidden to  do.  "  Avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather 
give  place  unto  wrath." 

In  war  men  overcome  their  enemies  by  pouring  on 
them  more  evil  than  they  are  enabled  to  return  or 
withstand. 

But  the  little  flock  of  Christ  must  take  a  path 
leading  just  in  the  opposite  direction.  They  must 
"overcome  evil  with  good."  Rom.  12:21. 

Do  not  those  who  meet  on  the  battlefield  hate  each 
other?  "  Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer, 
and  ye  know  that  no  murderer  hath  eternal  life  abid- 
ing in  him."  1  John  3:  15. 

All  power  that  exists,  whether  the  government  under 
which  we  live,  or  other  powers  of  earth,  all  are  "  or- 
dained of  God."  "  For  there  is  no  power  but  of  God." 
Rom.  13 :  1.  "  Whosoever,  therefore,  resisteth  the 
power  [either  that  under  which  we  live,  or  any  other], 
resisteth  the  ordinances  of  God,  and  they  that  resist 
shall  receive  to  themselves  damnation."  Rom.  13:2. 
So  the  Christian  is  in  all  cases  forbidden  to  use  the 
sword ;  for  whatever  power  he  meets  on  the  battlefield 
is  resisted  by  him,  and  "  since  there  is  no  power  but 
of  God,"  he  that  lesisteth  any  "  power,  resisteth  the 
ordinance  of  God."  Rom.  13:2 

But,  says  one,  when  the  soldiers  inquired  of  John  as 
to  what  they  must  do,  he  did  not  tell  them  to  ground 
their  arms,  but  to  "  do  violence  to  no  man."  To  this 
we  answer:  Had  these  words  been  delivered  by  one 


THE    PRINCE    OF    PEACE.  179 

of  the  apostles  to  the  Christian  church,  after  the  open- 
ing of  the  Gospel  reign  of  peace,  the  question  would 
have  been  settled,  and  I. never  would  have  raised  my 
pen  to  prove  that  the  Christian  has  no  right  to  use  the 
sword. 

But  we  must  remember  that  these  words  were 
spoken  before  the  Prince  of  Peace  had  issued  his  law 
for  the  government  of  his  church ;  and  they  were  ad- 
dressed, not  to  the  Christians,  but  to  Roman  soldiers, 
who,  if  ever  they  became  Christians  at  all,  did  not  till 
at  least  nine  or  ten  years  afterwards.  Therefore  we 
ask,  What  has  this  to  do  with  the  question  at  issue? 
We  have  never  said  it  was  wrong  for  the  people  of 
the  world  to  use  the  sword. 

That  the  powers  that  be,  the  kingdom  of  the  world, 
may  use  the  sword,  Paul  in  allusion  to  such,  says,  they 
bear  "  not  the  sword  in  vain."  Rom.  13  :  4. 

But  it  is  asked,  Are  we  not  required  to  be  "  subject 
unto  the  higher  powers  "  ?  To  this  we  answer  yes. 
But  we  are  nowhere  required  to  be  subjects  of  the 
higher  powers.  The  devils  were  subject  unto  the  apos- 
tles through  Christ.  Luke  10:  17.  Were  they  also 
subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ?  If  men,  ceasing 
to  add  to  the  Word  of  God,  or  ceasing  to  believe  the 
apostle  meant  something  he  has  not  said,  would  hold 
fast  to  the  form  of  sound  words  (2  Tim.  1:  13),  a-.; 
used  by  the  apostle,  they  would  not  "  wrest  the  script- 
ures unto  their  own  destruction"  (2  Peter  3:  16),  by 
saying  the  apostle  here  gives  license  to  the  subjects  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  to  take  up  arms  when  required 
to  do  so  by  the  government  under  which  they  live.  The 
apostle  does  not  say:  Let  the  Christian  be  a  subject 


180  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

of  the  powers  under  which  he  lives.  His  express  lan- 
guage is:  "  Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher 
powers"  (Rom.  13:  1),  which,  being  in  the  plural, 
embraces  all  powers ;  hence  lays  us  under  as  much 
obligation  to  be  subject  to  all  other  powers  as  to  the 
one  under  which  we  live.  And  since  we  cannot  be  the 
subjects  of  all  higher  powers,  this  proves  that  by  being 
"  subject  unto  the  higher  powers  "  he  did  not  mean 
that  we  must  be  the  subjects  of  those  powers. 

And  if  we  are  not  the  subjects  of  the  powers  of  the 
earth,  then  we  are  under  no  obligation  to  bear  arms. 
For  example :  The  prisoners  you  take  in  war  are 
"  subjects  unto,"  but  not  subjects  of,  your  government. 
Hence  you  do  not  require  them  to  bear  arms.  Or  if 
a  stranger  from  another  kingdom  sojourns  among  you, 
he  is  subject  unto,  but  not  a  subject  of,  your  kingdom ; 
hence  is  under  no  obligation  to  take  up  arms  in  time  of 
war,  until  he  takes  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Many  such 
are  now  in  this  country ;  some  at  the  call  of  the  gov- 
ernment have  entered  the  army  as  soldiers,  others  have 
refused,  but  those  who  have  refused  have  in  this  re- 
sisted no  law  of  the  higher  power,  seeing  they  are  not 
the  subjects  of  your  government. 

Now,  if  Christ  be  a  King,  he  must  have  a  kingdom. 
And  if  no  king  or  power  on  earth  has  the  right  to  re- 
quire the  subjects  of  another  kingdom  to  take  up  arms, 
then  no  king  or  power  on  earth  has  the  right  to  require 
the  subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  to  do  this. 

And  since  you  say,  Christ  our  king  "  is  Lord  of  all," 
why  treat  him  with  contempt,  insult  his  authority,  or 
deny  the  existence  of  any  such  kingdom,  by  requiring 
one  of  his  subjects  to  take  up  arms,  and  "  resist  evil," 


ACTIVE    OBEDIENCE.  181 

which  we  cannot  do,  without  rebellion  to  Christ  our 
King? 

Here  it  may  be  asked,  Since  the  higher  powers,  ac- 
knowledging as  it  were  the  existence  of  no  such  king- 
dom as  that  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  do  require  their 
subjects  also  to  take  up  arms,  how  shall  we  reconcile 
Paul's  liberty  to  the  Christian,  "  Let  every  soul  be  sub- 
ject unto  the  higher  powers,"  with  Christ's  uncondi- 
tional law,  "  Resist  not  evil  "  ?  To  which  we  answer, 
If  by  the  expression,  "  be  subject  unto  the  higher  pow- 
ers," the  apostle  meant  an  active  obedience,  then  it 
would  be  irreconcilable ;  but  that  he  meant  only  a  pas- 
sive subjection  is  clear  from  the  text  itself.  For  he, 
speaking  in  the  plural,  lays  us  under  as  much  obligation 
to  be  subject  unto  all  powers,  as  to  the  one  under  which 
we  live.  And  this,  you  know,  would  be  morally  im- 
possible, had  he  meant  an  active  subjection;  for  if  in 
obedience  to  one  of  the  powers  of  earth,  I  take  up 
arms  and  resist  another,  then  I  am  not  subject  to  the 
one  I  resist.  And  since  we  are  positively  and  uncon- 
ditionally forbidden  to  resist  any  of  the  higher  powers, 
we  can  only  be  subject  to  them  all  in  a  passive  sense. 
The  subjects  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  as  pilgrims  and 
sojourners  in  a  strange  land,  must  be  "  subject  unto 
the  higher  powers  "  of  earth ;  but  they  must  not  be 
subjects  of  those  powers. 

It  is  true,  we  are  born  subjects  of  the  government 
under  which  we  live ;  but  as  he  who  is  dead  has  ceased 
to  be  a  subject,  so  he  that  is  "  dead  with  Christ  from 
the  rudiments  of  the  world,  has  lost  his  citizenship,  and 
is  no  longer  a  subject  of  the  kingdoms  of  earth,  though 
passively  he  is  subject  to  them  all.  By  regeneration 


182  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

and  the  new  birth,  he  has  been  translated  from  the 
kingdom  of  this  world  unto  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  the 
Prince  of  Peace.  And  as  those  who  were  baptized 
unto  Moses  had  no  more  to  do  with  the  kingdom  of 
Egypt,  but  were  under  obligation  to  fight  the  battles 
of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  so  those  who  are  "  baptized 
unto  Christ,"  having  left  the  kingdom  of  this  world, 
are  under  obligations  to  fight  no  battles,  save  those  of 
the  Prince  of  Peace :  the  weapons  of  whose  warfare 
are  not  carnal.  2  Cor.  10:4 

Reader,  ponder  well  and  bear  in  mind  that  since  the 
Prince  of  Peace  has  positively  and  unconditionally 
forbidden  his  subjects  to  resist  evil,  all  the  authorities 
and  powers  of  earth  cannot  repeal  that  law.  And  yet, 
until  that  law  is  repealed,  the  resisting  of  evil  on  the 
part  of  the  Christian  is  open  rebellion  to  Christ,  his 
King,  though  by  all  the  powers  of  earth  combined  he 
may  be  required  to  do  so.  Hence  when,  by  the  author- 
ity of  the  world,  the  Christian  takes  up  arms,  he  tram- 
ples the  authority  of  Christ,  his  King,  beneath  his  feet, 
and  makes  the  authority  of  man  superior  to  that  of 
Christ, — he  becomes  the  servant  of  him  whom  he  obeys. 
Rom.  6:  16. 

One  law  of  Christ  our  King  was  this,  "  Go  ye  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel."  Now  when 
Nero,  emperor  of  Rome  with  all  the  authority  and 
power  of  his  kingdom,  required  the  apostles  to  cease 
to  do  this,  they  chose  rather  to  obey  God  than  man. 

Another  law  of  Christ,  our  God,  as  given  in  terms 
yet  more  positive,  by  using  the  expression,  "  I  say  unto 
you  "  is,  "  that  ye  resist  not  evil."  Matt.  5 :  39. 

And  since  "  he  that  saith,  I  know  him,  and  keepeth 


THE    HIGHER    POWER.  183 

not  his  commandments  is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not 
in  him"  (1  John  2:4),  had  we  not  as  well  renounce 
the  religion  of  Christ  at  once,  as  to  refuse  to  obey  him  ? 
We  are  to  be  "  subject  unto  the  higher  powers  "  in  all 
things  that  do  not  conflict  with  the  clear  law  of  Christ. 
But  since  "  no  man  can  serve  two  masters  "  ( Matt. 
6 :  24) ,  when  the  higher  powers  require  us  to  do  that 
which  our  Lord  has  forbidden,  "  we  ought  to  obey  God 
rather  than  man."  Acts  5  :  29. 

But  we  are  often  asked  questions  like  this :  Was  not 
George  Washington  a  good  Christian?  To  this  I  an- 
swer, "  I  know  nothing  by  myself  "  ( 1  Cor.  4:4).  If 
you  prefer  the  example  of  Washington  and  other  good 
men  to  that  of  Christ,  I  have  only  to  say,  "  calling  no 
man  father  upon  earth  "  (Matt.  23 :  9),  I  choose  rather 
to  follow  the  example  and  obey  the  precepts  of  Christ 
and  his  apostles  only. 

If,  by  the  new  birth,  Washington  had  entered  within 
the  pales  of  the  new  covenant  dispensation,  then  he  did 
violate  the  laws  of  heaven  in  resisting  the  higher  pow- 
ers. But  I  know  no  law  forbidding  those  to  use  the 
sword  who  do  not  belong  to  the  new  covenant  dispen- 
sation of  peace.  For  the  "  higher  power  "  is  as  proper- 
ly "  the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger,  to  execute  wrath 
upon  him  that  doeth  evil "  as  the  peaceable  lambs  of 
Jesus  are  the  ministers  of  Christ  to  "  teach  all  nations  " 
(Matt.  28:  19)  "the  way  of  peace."  All  we  contend 
for  is,  that  the  two  kingdoms,  the  kingdom  of  the  world 
and  that  of  Christ,  be  not  blended  together.  Let  the 
Israel  of  God  remain  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  under 
David  their  king,  and  let  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
fight  their  own  battles 


184  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

But  we  are  asked,  If  wrong  for  the  Christian  to  use 
the  sword,  why  did  Peter  have  one  ?  To  this  we  reply, 
Peter  had  none  until  required  to  procure  one  for  this 
particular  occasion.  And  that  for  the  express  purpose 
of  exhibiting  to  all  the  world,  both  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample, that  the  sword  can  in  no  case  be  used  by  the 
Christian.  In  proof  of  which,  call  to  mind  that  while 
it  was  so  important  at  that  time  to  have  a  sword,  a  man 
was  even  required  to  "  sell  his  garment,  and  buy  one, 
— two  swords  [were]  enough"  (Luke  22:  36,  38),  for 
the  object  in  view. 

The  object  could  not  have  been  to  use  it  against  that 
great  multitude  of  soldiers,  armed  with  "  swords  and 
staves,"  for  then  two  swords  would  not  have  been 
enough.  And  forbidding  his  disciples  to  use  them  for 
that  purpose  he  said :  "  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot 
now  pray  to  my  Father,  and  he  shall  presently  give 
me  more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels  ?  "  And  yet 
if  our  Lord  did  nothing  in  vain,  he  must  have  had 
some  object  in  view. 

So  every  reasonable  man  is  compelled  to  admit  that 
our  Lord's  object  was,  by  both  precept  and  example, 
to  exhibit  as  clear  as  the  sun  in  its  noonday  splendor, 
the  celestial  law  of  nonresistance,  which  draws  the 
line  between  the  people  of  God  and  the  world,  being 
the  law  of  God  to  which  the  carnal  mind  is  not  subject, 
"neither  indeed  can  be."  Rom.  8:7. 

But  some  of  those  whose  carnal  nature  is  unable  to 
yield  to  Christ,  try  to  make  the  Bible  yield  to  them ; 
they  say  the  text,  "  He  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  buy 
one,"  shows  that  we  have  the  privilege  of  using  the 


THE    SWORD.  185 

sword.  To  which  we  answer,  Since  two  swords  are 
not  enough  for  all  the  Christian  church,  we  have  posi- 
tive proof  that  this  was  not  the  object.  For  whatever 
the  object  may  have  been,  one  thing  is  certain,  "  two 
swords  "  were  "  enough  "  for  the  end  in  view. 

But  even  if  we  had  not  been  informed  that  two 
swords  were  enough  for  the  object  in  view,  yet,  since 
the  last  words  of  Christ  concerning  the  sword  forbid 
its  use,  no  servant  of  Christ  can  ever  use  it  again,  until 
a  new  revelation  is  received  from  heaven,  seeing  that 
in  the  use  of  it,  he,  ceasing  to  be  the  servant  of  Christ, 
becomes  the  servant  of  him  "  whom  ye  obey."  Rom. 
6:  16. 

The  next  war,  in  which  the  apostles  and  the  first 
Christians  were  concerned,  was  that  of  the  Romans  in- 
vading the  land  of  Judea,  spreading  desolation  and  ruin 
as  they  went ;  destroying  their  property,  burning  their 
houses,  bathing  the  sword  in  the  heart's  blood  of  their 
fathers,  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters,  and  selling  their 
children  to  the  heathen  for  slaves,  or  confining  them  in 
dark  dungeons  and  pits  to  toil  in  doleful  wretchedness 
under  ground,  thus  causing  "  great  distress  in  the 
land,"  while  enraged  soldiers  poured  their  "  wrath 
upon  this  people." 

To  the  question,  "  Shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  ?  " 
what  is  the  answer?  (Just  the  reverse  of  what  is  giv- 
en by  those  who  "  have  taken  away  the  key  of  knowl- 
edge." Luke  11 :  52.)  "I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  resist 
not  evil:  but,"  leaving  all  behind,  "flee  to  the  moun- 
tains" (Luke  21:21),  "for  all  they  that  take  the 
sivord  shall  perish  with  the  sword."  Matt.  26 :  52. 

This  was  written  about  the  time  of  the  beginning  of 


186  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

the  war;  and  since  the  apostles  here  had  direct  refer- 
ence to  this  very  "  power,"  or  army  which  laid  their 
land  waste,  we  may  well  supply  the  above  words, — 
the  invading  army.  • 

And  now  we  wish  to  make  an  appeal  to  the  honesty 
of  every  intelligent  man.  As  this  was  the  last  war, 
during  the  apostolic  age,  if,  since  that  time,  you  have 
received  no  new  revelation  from  heaven,  where  is  your 
authority  for  believing  the  Christian  may  use  the  sword, 
or  take  up  arms  in  time  of  war?  You  say  "  self-pro- 
tection, the  first  law  of  nature,"  demands  it.  But  if 
"  the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God  "  (1  Cor.  1 :  21), 
can  you  be  the  servant  of  Christ,  who  by  the  wisdom 
of  the  world  reverses  the  laws  of  God  ? 

Is  there  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  under  the  canopy 
of  heaven  who  does  not  admit  that  the  precepts  and 
example  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  are  to  the  Christian 
a  living  lanjf  Then  why  deny  what  you  preach?  If 
honest,  you  are  compelled  to  admit  that  Christ  and  his 
apostles  did  both  by  example  and  precept,  teach  the 
doctrine  of  nonresistance ;  insomuch  that  when  every- 
thing dear  to  them  on  earth  was  being  destroyed,  their 
near  relatives,  friends  and  neighbors  were  falling  "  by 
the  edge  of  the  sword  and  led  away  captive  into  all 
nations  "  (Luke  21 :  24),  so  far  from  being  permitted 
to  take  up  arms  to  resist  the  desolating  foe,  they  were 
commanded  to  "  flee  into  the  mountains,"  and  that 
under  a  law  too  strict  to  allow  a  man  even  to  "  return 
back  and  take  his  clothes  "  or  "  anything  out  of  hib 
house."  Matt.  24:  16-18. 

And  if  they  "  took  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their 
goods,"  why  may  we  not  suffer  loss  for  Christ's  sake? 


THE    BETTER     WAY.  187 

"  Knowing  in  yourselves  that  ye  have,  in  heaven,  a 
better  and  an  enduring  substance."  Heb.  10:  34. 

This  being  so  contrary  to  the  way  of  the  world,  our 
Lord  has  well  said :  "  I  will  lead  them  in  paths  they 
have  not  known."  Isa.  42:  16.  No  lion  (or  warlike 
person)  shall  be  there,  nor  any  ravenous  beast  (such 
as  slay  their  fellow-man)  shall  go  up  thereon;  it  shall 
not  be  found  there  "  (Isa.  35 :  9),  for  "  all  his  paths  are 
peace." 

The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  "  the  Gospel  of  Peace " 
Eph.  6:15.  "  As  it  is  written,  How  beautiful  are  the 
feet  of  them  that  publish  the  gospel  of  peace."  Rom. 
10:  15. 

In  conclusion,  we  admit  that  this  doctrine  of  non- 
resistance  is  humiliating  to  the  flesh ;  but  ponder  well, 
and  then  answer  the  following  question:  From  the 
example  and  precepts  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  what 
appears  to  have  been  the  object  of  the  Gospel?  Was 
it  to  moralize,  raise  and  exalt  the  people  to  a  more 
elevated  sphere,  that  they  might  be  the  happier  during 
the  present  life?  Or  was  it  to  prepare  a  people  for 
heaven  at  the  sacrifice  of  every  earthly  thing? 


PART    FIVE 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  SOUTH 


The  Temple  of   Peace  and  the  Triumph  of  Peace 


Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and  peace  there  shall 
be  no  end.  -Isa  9:  6. 


PREFACE 

THERE  is  nothing  more  gratifying  and  significant 
in  the  signs  of  the  times  than  the  increase  of  peace 
principles  among  enlightened  men  and  nations,  and 
the  ever- widening  conviction  that  war  is  the  most 
selfish,  brutal,  wasteful  and  ineffectual  means  of 
settling  differences  among  men.  It  is  a  travesty  on 
the  Christian  religion  for  a  minister  or  priest  to  pray 
to  the  "  god  of  battles  "  for  a  blessing  upon  the  instru- 
ments of  war,  while  professing  to  be  a  servant  of 
the  Prince  of  Peace. 

H.  E.  Warner  in  a  little  volume  on  the  "  Ethics  of 
Force  "  says, 

"  In  spite  of  the  attitude  of  Christian  nations,  nothing 
can  be  found  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  giving  authority 
for  war,  or  even  a  justification  for  the  use  of  force  in 
self-defense.  Christ  taught  the  doctrine  of  nonresistance, 
the  passive  endurance  of  wrong.  With  the  ever-widening 
sense  of  human  brotherhood,  the  conviction  has  deepened 
that  the  law  of  love  is  the  permanent  and  universal  rule 
for  the  guidance  of  human  conduct,  and  that  war  with 
its  dreadful  destruction  and  enormous  suffering  can  not 
be  reconciled  with  it."  (From  Literary  Digest,  July  1, 
1905.) 

Read  the  beautiful  truths  in  the  sermon  on  "  Love 
your  enemies,"  by  a  leading  evangelist  of  the  Middle 
South — pausing  long  enough  to  consider  "  the  sub- 
stitution of  reason  for  force  in  the  settlement  of 
differences  between  nations,"  leading  up  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Hague  Court ;  and  the  glorious  triumph 
of  arbitration  at  Portsmouth,  with  President  Roose- 
velt as  peacemaker, — then  let  every  lover  of  peace 
thank  God  and  take  courage.  D.  H. 

190 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  SOUTH 

LOVE    YOUR     ENEMIES.* 

MATTHEW  5 : 44.  My  text  is  from  Christ's  won- 
derful Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  listening  multi- 
tude heard  their  great  Teacher  speak  as  never  man 
spake.  Sentence  after  sentence  he  states  great  funda- 
mental truths.  Here  he  gives  a  command  that  the 
world  had  never  heard  before.  They  had  heard  it 
had  been  said,  "  An  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for 
a  tooth."  They  had  heard  it  said,  "  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  and  hate  thy  enemy ;  "  but  never  before 
had  they  received  the  command  to  love  their  enemies. 

Many  of  his  hearers  had  read  in  the  old  Mosaic 
doctrine,  "  If  any  mischief  follow,  then  thou  shalt 
give  life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  hand 
for  hand,  foot  for  foot,  burning  for  burning,  wound 
for  wound,  stripe  for  stripe."  Christ  does  not  con- 
tradict the  Mosaic  law,  but  he  gives  to  the  world  a 
higher  law. 

A  nation  of  people  led  from  the  worship  of  idols, 
ignorant  of  God  and  higher  laws,  unable  to  understand 
or  appreciate  the  deeper  diviner  laws  of  the  pure  heart, 
a  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteousness,  could 
be  governed  only  by  physical  laws.  Their  life  must 
be  preserved  by  rigid  laws,  demanding  life  for  life, 
tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  but  after  years  of 


"Courtesy  of  Evangelist  Geo.  R.  Stuart,  of  Cleveland,  Tenn. 
Book  of  "  Sermons "  by  Geo.  R.  Stuart.  Page  222.  Price, 
$1.00.  Published  by  Pepper  Publishing  Co.,  609-611  Lippin- 
cott  Bldg.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

191 


192  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

education  and  discipline,  God  had  led  them  out  on  the 
mount,  where  they  were  able  to  hear  and  receive  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel.  The  light  of  the.  world  is  now 
come,  and  men  seeing  the  light  shall  walk  in  the  light 
as  he  is  in  the  light ;  no  longer  governed  by  mere 
laws  and  commandments  but  governed  from  within 
by  the  regeneration,  calling  into  being  motives,  desires 
and  affections  which  govern  the  whole  man. 

The  very  nature  of  this  new  heart  is  to  be  that  of 
the  great  heart  of  God,  "  according  as  the  divine 
power  hath  given  unto  us  the  things  that  pertain  unto 
life  and  godliness  through  the  knowledge  of  him  who 
hath  called  us  to  glory  and  virtue.  Whereby  are 
given  unto  us  great  and  exceeding  precious  promises, 
that  by  these  ye  may  be  partakers  of  the  divine  nature, 
having  escaped  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world 
through  lust." 

The  very  evidence  of  this  passing  out  of  a  sinful 
nature  into  a  divine  nature  is  love.  "  We  know  that 
we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life  because  we  love 
the  brethren."  "  Beloved,  let  us  love  one  another,  for 
love  is  of  God,  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  born  of 
God  and  knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not,  knoweth 
not  God,  for  God  is  love."  If  I  were  to  write  my 
whole  religion  in  one  word,  I  should  write  the  word 
"  love."  It  was  love  that  moved  God  to  give  his  Son 
to  die  for  us.  It  was  love  that  moved  Christ  to 
surrender  the  glories  of  heaven  and  suffer  the  agony 
of  Calvary.  We  know  we  have  passed  from  death 
unto  life  because  we  love.  "  But  whoso  hath  this 
world's  good  and  seeth  his  brother  have  need,  and 
shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him,  how 


THE    TEST    OF     LOVE.  193 

dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him?"  The  whole  law, 
then,  is  briefly  stated  in  this :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 
and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Thus  we  see  that  love 
originated  the  plan  of  salvation.  Love  wrought  it  out 
on  Calvary.  Love  is  the  evidence  of  it,  and  love  is 
the  practice  of  it.  If  a  man  loves  God  with  all  his 
heart,  and  with  all  his  soul  and  with  all  his  strength, 
and  with  all  his  mind,  then  every  other  Christian  duty 
will  be  easy  and  natural.  He  will  then  love  humanity. 
"  If  a  man  say  he  loves  God,  and  hateth  his  brother, 
he  is  a  liar."  "  If  he  love  not  his  brother  whom  he 
hath  seen,  how  can  he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not 
seen  ?  "  "  And  this  commandment  have  we  from  him, 
that  he  who  loveth  God  love  his  brother  also."  .  . 
This  command  to  love  has  several  statements  in 
the  Bible.  "  Love  one  another."  "  Love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself."  "  Love  your  enemies."  I  have  chosen 
a  command  apparently  most  difficult  to  obey.  "  Love 
your  enemies."  If  you  have  ever  done  much  in  the 
world  you  have  made  enemies.  "  Marvel  not  if  the 
world  hate  you."  Christ's  enemies  crucified  him.  The 
enemies  of  the  apostles  and  early  disciples  imprisoned, 
stoned,  crucified  and  burned  them.  Who  is  my  enemy? 
He  may  be  the  one  who  hates  me  or  he  may  be  the 
one  who  would,  under  cover  of  night,  set  fire  to  my 
house,  who  would  slip  up  behind  me  and  pierce  me 
with  a  dagger,  who  would  "  take  from  me  that  which 
naught  enriches  him,  but  makes  me  poor  indeed."  He 
may  be  that  man  who  would  do  any  and  all  manner 
of  evil  against  me,  and  I  am  commanded  to  love  him. 


194  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

No  commandment  in  all  the  Scripture  has  given  me 
more  trouble  than  this.  I  do  not  bother  over  the 
mysteries  of  the  Bible.  The  plain  commandments  are 
the  portions  of  Scripture  that  give  me  trouble.  For 
years  I  tried  to  love  my  enemy  with  an  impossible  love. 
Love  is  a  big  word,  and  has  many  elements.  Love  is 
a  compound  emotion,  and  cannot  be  driven.  Love  is 
involuntary.  It  comes  out  from  the  heart  like  the 
light  from  the  sun,  like  water  from  the  fountain,  like 
fragrance  from  a  flower.  The  nature  of  the  heart 
gives  it  birth,  and  sends  it  forth. 

How,  then,  shall  I  love  my  enemy?  There  are 
some  elements  of  love  which  in  the  nature  of  the  case 
may  not  be  exercised  toward  an  enemy.  Take  the 
element  of  esteem.  I  met  you  a  few  days  ago.  You 
were  not  prepossessing.  I  saw  you,  as  we  walked 
down  the  street,  stop  and  administer  to  the  wants  of 
a  beggar ;  a  little  farther  on  I  saw  you  kindly  assist 
an  aged  man  over  the  rough  street  crossing;  a  little 
farther  along  I  saw  the  sweetest  sympathy  manifested 
for  a  suffering  man ;  at  your  home  I  saw  the  little  ones 
clamber  about  your  neck,  and  heard  your  kind  words  to 
wife  and  children.  Finally  I  said,  "  I  love  that  man." 
Why?  Because  great  and  noble  traits  of  character 
manifesting  themselves  at  every  turn  of  your  way 
demanded  my  love.  Again  I  meet  this  other  man. 
His  manner  is  pleasing  and  prepossessing,  and  I  am 
prepared  to  love  him.  But  I  see  him  turn  his  back 
upon  a  poor,  deserving  creature  seeking  alms.  I  see 
him  jostle  rudely  out  of  his  way  an  aged  man.  I  see 
him  turn  his  back  upon  half  a  dozen  demands  for 
sympathy  and  help.  I  overheard  him  stabbing  the 


LOVE'S     ATTRIBUTES.  195 

hearts  of  his  wife  and  little  ones  with  his  cruel  words. 
As  I  walked  off  from  his  doorstep,  I  said,  "  I  do  not 
like  that  man.  He  is  low,  and  vicious.  I  cannot 
esteem  him  highly ;  I  do  not  believe  God  wants  me  to." 

Again,  there  is  a  complacent  element  in  love.  I  look 
upon  a  beautiful  landscape,  a  lovely  rose,  a  beautiful 
face,  and  I  say  I  love  flowers,  I  love  beautiful  land-  . 
scapes,  I  love  beautiful  faces.  Why?  Because  they 
please  me.  Some  things  are  in  their  very  nature 
pleasing;  others  in  their  very  nature  are  displeasing. 
I  look  upon  a  city  sewer,  a  stagnant  pond,  and  turn 
away  in  disgust.  They  are  in  their  very  nature  dis- 
pleasing. I  cannot  help  loving  beautiful  flowers.  I 
could  not  persuade  myself  to  love  a  stagnant  pond. 
I  meet  a  man ;  love,  gentleness,  meekness  and  all  the 
Christian  virtues  glow  in  all  their  beauty  in  his 
character.  I  see  another  man,  false,  vicious,  unclean. 
I  cannot  help  being  pleased  with  the  one.  I  cannot 
help  being  displeased  with  the  other,  and  I  express  it 
by  saying,  I  love  that  character;  I  do  not  love  the 
other. 

There  is  another  element  of  love,  which  we  de- 
nominate gratitude.  I  will  illustrate  it.  There  is  a 
three-story  house  on  fire.  All  the  family  have  escaped, 
they  think.  But  upon  examination  they  find  that  little 
Bessie  has  been  left  behind.  Her  chubby  little  hands 
and  arms  are  stretched  from  the  upper  window,  and 
she  screams  for  help.  Every  stairway  is  cut  off  by 
the  flames  which  are  rapidly  enveloping  the  whole 
building.  The  father,  looking  upon  the  scene,  cries, 
"  All  that  I  have  will  I  give  for  the  rescue  of  that 


196  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

child !  "  The  mother  joins  by  shouting,  "  All !  all ! 
all  for  the  rescue  of  my  darling." 

Ladders  are  thrown  against  the  building,  but  the 
brave  men  stand  back.  There  is  a  little  sailor  boy 
in  the  crowd,  who  is  accustomed  to  mounting  masts 
and  scaling  ladders.  Fearlessly  he  leaps  upon  the 
ladder  resting  against  the  building,  and  up  he  goes 
until  the  flames  from  out  the  window  fairly  blister 
his  body.  Half  way  up  the  ladder  he  hesitates,  he 
pauses.  "  Three  cheers  for  the  sailor  boy,"  goes  up 
from  the  crowd,  and  he  goes  to  the  window,  throws 
his  arms  around  Bessie  and  rapidly  descends  the  ladder, 
and  falls  fainting  at  the  feet  of  the  excited  father  and 
mother  of  the  little  girl.  They  alternate  in  their  kisses 
upon  the  ruddy  cheeks  of  little  Bessie  and  the  tanned 
cheeks  of  the  sailor  boy.  They  adopt  him  into  their 
family  as  their  own  son,  and  through  all  the  coming 
years  they  know  not  whether  they  love  most  the 
rescued  or  the  rescuer.  What  is  this?  It  is  gratitude. 
The  warrior  stops  at  the  home  gate,  pats  the  withers 
of  his  dappled  gray,  and  says,  "  Ho,  fellow,  I  love 
you."  He  has  spanned  ravines,  he  has  leaped  fences, 
created  distances  between  him  and  the  enemy,  and 
saved  his  life  in  half  a  dozen  cases,  and  brought  him 
safe  at  last  to  his  home  gate.  He  loves  the  horse. 
It  is  the  love  of  gratitude. 

Some  years  ago  I  was  sitting  in  the  large  armchair 
by  our  home  fireside.  I  had  just  recovered  from  a 
long  spell  of  typhoid  fever,  through  which  my  tireless 
mother  had  sat  almost  constantly  at  my  bedside.  When 
they  would  say,  "  Mother,  go  to  sleep,"  she  would 
reply,  "  I  cannot  sleep."  There  are  times  when  the 


MY     MOTHER.  197 

good  mother  does  not  get  sleepy.  When  they  would 
say,  "  Mother,  eat,"  she  would  say,  "  I  am  not  hungry." 
There  are  times  when  the  good  mother  does  not  get 
hungry.  But  the  crisis  had  come  and  passed,  and, 
convalescent,  I  was  sitting  by  the  fire,  while  she  sat 
carefully  guarding,  lest  in  my  weakness  I  should 
faint  and  fall  from  my  chair.  As  I  turned  and  looked 
into  her  anxious  face,  so  careworn,  I  saw  upon  her 
temples  the  first  gray  hairs  I  had  ever  noticed  in  her 
head.  I  said,  "  Mother,  I  did  not  know  you  were 
turning  gray."  She  said,  "  I  am  not."  I  said,  "  There 
are  gray  hairs  on  your  temple."  Womanlike,  she 
went  to  the  mirror  and  looked  into  it.  And  then  with 
a  deep  shadow  upon  her  face,  she  said,  "  I  had  never 
noticed  them  before."  Was  it  the  long,  anxious  days 
and  nights  that  she  watched  by  my  bedside  that  turned 
those  hairs  to  silver?  I  think  so.  Anyway,  when  I 
return  from  my  various  trips,  and  look  into  her  dear 
old  face,  and  see  those  hairs  glistening  upon  those 
temples,  I  love  my  mother  just  as  I  love  nobody  else 
on  God's  green  earth,  and  I  am  sure  that  God  doesn't 
want  me  to  love  anybody  as  I  love  her.  There  are 
some  kinds  of  love  that  cannot  be  exercised  for  every 
one.  I  am  glad  God  doesn't  say,  "  Love  your  neighbor 
as  you  love  your  wife."  I  could  not  have  done  it. 
I  am  so  glad  that  God  does  not  say,  "  Love  your 
neighbor  as  you  love  your  mother."  I  could  not  have 
done  it.  I  am  so  glad  that  God  doesn't  say,  "  Love 
your  neighbor  as  you  love  your  children."  I  could  not 
have  done  it.  I  am  so  glad  that  he  doesn't  say,  "  Love 
your  neighbor  as  you  love  your  best  friend."  I  could 
not  have  done  it.  God  never  commands  an  impossible 


198  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

thing.  God  does  not  demand  of  me  the  love  of  esteem 
for  every  creature.  God  does  not  demand  of  me  the 
love  of  complacency  for  every  creature.  God  does 
not  demand  of  me  that  I  love  with  the  love  of  gratitude 
every  creature.  The  love  of  esteem  is  called  forth  by 
estimable  qualities ;  the  love  of  complacency  is  called 
forth  ,by  pleasing  objects.  The  love  of  gratitude  is 
called  forth  by  kind  deeds.  These  elements  of  love 
are  dependent  upon  things  without  me.  But  there  is 
a  love,  the  best  love  this  old  world  ever  knew,  the  love 
that  God  had  when  he  gave  his  Son  to  die  for  me ; 
the  love  that  Christ  had  when  he  suffered  on  Calvary 
for  me.  The  love  that  God  demands  of  me  toward 
every  creature ;  it  is  the  benevolent  love ;  a  wish-well 
love ;  the  love  that  wishes  everybody  well,  and  wishes 
nobody  harm ;  the  love  that  when  actively  exercised 
"  does  unto  others  as  I  would  want  them  to  do  unto 
me ;  "  the  love  which  when  properly  exercised  leads 
me  to  do  no  harm  to  any  one,  but  all  the  good  I  can 
to  everyone.  This  love  does  not  depend  upon  external 
objects,  but  goes  gushing  from  a  good  heart  as  water 
from  a  fountain ;  goes  out  from  a  good  heart  as 
fragrance  from  a  rose ;  goes  out  from  a  good  heart  as 
light  from  the  sun.  It  is  the  love  that  distinguishes 
the  Christian  from  the  sinner,  the  man  of  God  from 
the  man  of  the  world.  It  is  that  love  that  when  reviled 
"  does  not  revile  again."  It  is  that  love  that  "  returns 
good  for  evil."  It  is  that  love  that  patiently  wears  the 
crown  of  thorns,  and  wipes  the  rude  spittle  from  the 
face.  It  is  that  love  that  cries  out  from  the  storm  of 
stones,  "  Father,  forgive  them."  It  is  the  love  that 
bleeding  and  dying  on  Calvary,  cries  out,  "  Father, 


TRUE     COURAGE.  199 

forgive  them;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."     It 
is  the  love  which  is  the  evidence  of  regeneration.  .  . 

The  fact  that  a  man  will  shoot  at  the  drop  of  a 
hat,  will  fight  anybody  upon  the  slightest  provocation, 
is  not  a  proof  of  courage.  It  is  oftener  the  evidence 
of  a  brutish  man.  He  who  is  closest  to  the  brute 
values  least  a  human  life.  He  who  is  farthest  from 
the  brute  values  most  a  life.  He  who  sacrifices  a 
human  life  to  a  human  passion  values  human  passion 
higher  than  he  values  human  life.  The  fact  that  a 
man  is  quick  to  fight  is  often  proof  that  he  is  more 
afraid  of  public  opinion  than  he  is  of  God.  He  values 
a  human  life  lower  than  he  values  a  human  passion. 
There  is  a  foolish  sentiment,  mainly  nourished  in  the 
South,  that  every  insult  is  to  be  met  with  a  human 
life.  If  one  man  calls  another  a  liar,  he  must  pay 
for  the  insult  with  his  blood.  No  more  foolish  and 
debasing  practice  ever  existed  among  men.  If  he  calls 
me  a  liar,  I  am  either  a  liar  or  I  am  not  a  liar.  If 
I  am  a  liar,  he  simply  states  a  fact  which  I  ought  to 
admit.  If  I  am  not  a  liar,  then  he  is  a  liar,  and  if 
I  should  undertake  to  fight  every  liar  in  the  country 
I  should  have  a  government  job  on  my  hands.  There 
is  no  philosophy,  or  religion,  or  good  breeding  in 
courting  a  personal  difficulty  with  every  ill-bred  scamp 
who  calls  you  a  liar.  A  noble,  good  Englishman  of 
my  town,  every  inch  a  gentleman,  was  sitting  in  his 
office  one  day,  when  a  neighbor  entered,  having  become 
offended  at  some  business  transaction.  In  the  course 
of  their  conversation,  he  abruptly  turned  to  the 
Englishman  and  said,  "  Sir,  you  are  a  liar."  The 
Englishman  calmly  looked  up  into  his  face  and  said, 


200  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

"  Sir,  that  is  just  your  opinion  expressed  in  your  ill- 
breeding.  I  do  not  wish  to  continue  a  conversation 
with  a  man  so  ill-bred  as  to  talk  that  way  in  a  gen- 
tleman's office."  He  turned  to  his  desk  and  continued 
his  writing. 

When  a  man  wishes  to  fight  me,  one  of  three  things 
i?  true :  I  have  done  him  a  wrong,  he  conceives  that 
I  have  done  him  a  wrong,  or  he  is  ill-tempered.  If 
I  have  done  him  a  wrong,  it  is  my  business  kindly  and 
patiently  to  rectify  the  wrong.  If  he  conceives  that 
I  have  done  him  the  wrong,  when  I  have  not,  it  is 
my  business  either  alone  or  with  the  assistance  of 
others,  to  convince  him  of  his  error.  If  he  is  an  ill- 
tempered  fellow,  I  should  be  charitable,  to  say  the 
least  of  it,  too  manly  to  get  into  a  difficulty  with  such 
a  man ;  I  should  avoid  him  as  I  would  avoid  a  vicious 
dog. 

A  Christian  will  accept  an  apology.  A  Christian 
man  will  not  carry  malice.  A  bully  who  poses  as  a 
brave  man  is  often  the  biggest  coward.  He  is  not 
afraid  of  death  and  is  not  afraid  of  personal  violence. 
In  this  he  is  like  a  Jersey  brute  or  an  ill-tempered  cur. 
But  he  is  afraid  of  public  opinion.  He  is  afraid  of 
being  called  a  coward.  It  takes  more  courage,  often, 
to  brook  public  opinion  than  to  face  a  cannon.  It 
takes  more  real  courage  to  bear  an  insult  than  to  resent 
it.  When  brought  to  the  last  analysis,  nothing  is  so 
cowardly,  so  silly,  so  brutish,  as  fighting. 

A  fight  occurred  among  my  neighbors  once,  in  which 
the  father  was  badly  wounded.  While  the  physicians 
were  sewing  up  the  wounds,  I  stood  in  the  moonlight 


REVENGE    IS    USELESS.  201 

in  the  yard,  with  four  of  his  sons.  One  of  them  said, 
"  If  my  father  dies,  the  other  man  must  die."  I  said, 
"  Hear  me  a  few  minutes.  It  is  the  mark  of  a  good 
hunter  not  to  waste  his  ammunition.  If  a  man  is 
loaded  for  deer,  it  would  be  very  silly  to  shoot  at  a 
wren.  The  game  is  not  worth  the  powder.  It  would 
be  very  foolish  to  shoot  at  a  lizard,  the  game  is  not 
worth  the  load.  Let  us  see  what  you  load  with  and 
what  your  game  will  be  worth  when  killed,  before  you 
shoot.  You  must  load  your  gun  with  a  long  lawsuit. 
You  must  load  your  gun  with  the  happiness  of  your 
wife  and  children.  You  must  load  your  gun  with  a 
heavy  expenditure  of  money.  You  must  load  your 
gun  with  the  blood  of  your  fellow-man.  You  must 
load  your  gun  with  a  whole  life  of  sorrow  of  his 
innocent  wife  and  sweet  children,  who  are  in  no  way 
responsible.  Put  all  these  things  into  your  gun  and 
fire  into  your  man,  and  when  he  lies  dead  at  your  feet, 
what  is  his  dead  body  worth  to  you?  If  you  say 
that  his  streaming  blood  and  the  wail  of  his  wife  and 
the  screaming  of  his  children  will  feed  a  passion  in  your 
bosom,  I  say  that  is  a  bad  passion.  If  you  say,  '  The 
man  deserves  death,'  there  is  a  just  God  who  will 
attend  to  that.  If  you  say,  '  He  deserves  punishment/ 
there  are  adequate  civil  laws  to  attend  to  that.  '  But,' 
you  may  say,  '  Where  shall  I  seek  revenge  ?  '  God 
hath  said, '  Vengeance  is  mine.'  It  is  utterly  impossible 
to  find  vengeance  on  earth.  If  you  kill  me,  my  oldest 
brother  will  kill  you;  your  oldest  son  will  kill  him; 
the  next  relative  on  your  side  will  kill  on  my  side, 
and  the  next  on  mine  will  kill  on  your  side,  and  let 
your  bloody  fight  go  on  until  the  earth  is  baptized  in 


202  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

blood  and  hell  is  peopled  with  suffering  souls,  and 
yet  vengeance  is  impossible." 

Here  is  a  picture.  Two  young  men  are  in  partner- 
ship. They  were  married  and  had  happy  families. 
For  business  considerations  they  dissolved  partnership. 
In  the  division  of  goods  an  altercation  arose  in  which 
one  called  the  other  a  liar.  To  satisfy  the  insult  he 
jerked  from  his  pocket  a  pistol,  and  sent  a  ball  through 
the  head  of  his  former  friend  and  partner.  With  a 
dull  thud  he  fell  to  the  floor  and  the  murderer  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  officers.  A  few  hours  later  the  mur- 
derer was  locked  in  a  cold,  iron  prison  with  his  wife 
and  children  weeping  and  wailing  on  the  outside.  The 
wife  of  the  other  man,  with  her  two  little  children, 
had  just  gone  on  a  visit  to  her  father.  A  telegram 
was  sent.  "  Your  husband  was  shot  and  killed  this 
morning.  Come  home."  On  receiving  the  telegram, 
a  sad  wail  alarmed  the  neighbors,  who  gathered  in 
to  look  in  upon  the  most  pitiful  creature,  and  to  hear 
the  most  pitiful  wails.  Ever  and  anon  the  suffering 
woman  would  say,  "  Oh  !  my  happiness  is  ended !  My 
happiness  is  ended !  "  And  her  sweet  little  children 
tugging  at  her  dress,  and  crying  piteously,  "  What 
is  the  matter,  mamma?  What  is  the  matter,  mamma?  " 
received  no  answer  but  her  sad  wails. 

She  dressed  in  mourning  and  came  on  the  evening 
train  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  and  was  taken  to 
her  home,  which  she  had  so  recently  left  so  full  of 
joy  and  sunshine.  As  her  feet  touched  the  step  she 
looked  up  at  the  little  vine-covered  cottage,  and  said, 
"  Oh,  you  once  sweet  little  home,  you  will  never  be 
home  to  me  any  more.  You  will  never  be  home  to 


WHAT     IS     A     COWARD.  203 

me  any  more."  If  you  call  that  revenge,  God  knows 
that  I  don't  want  it.  I  want  no  vengeance  taken  from 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  innocent  women  and  helpless 
children.  Hear  this,  my  brother,  whenever  you  shoot 
into  a  man,  I  care  not  where  you  hit  the  man,  you 
have  hit  some  poor  woman  in  the  heart.  Some 
mother's  heart,  some  wife's  heart  or  some  sister's 
heart  will  carry  the  bullet  to  the  grave.  When  you 
stab  a  man,  I  care  not  in  what  part  of  his  body  your 
blade  makes  its  incision,  you  stab  some  poor  woman 
in  the  heart.  There  is  no  more  cowardly  and  brutal 
act  on  earth  than  that  which  oppresses  helpless  women 
and  children.  And  he  who  pulls  his  pistol  from  his 
pocket,  fires  into  his  fellow-man,  and  consequently  puts 
a  bullet  into  the  mother's,  or  wife's,  or  sister's  heart, 
and  crushes  helpless  women  and  children  by  his  brutal 
act,  may  be  called  a  brave  man  by  the  rabble  who 
stand  by  and  hear  not  the  pitiful  moans  year  after 
year  that  come  from  the  wounded  hearts  of  wife  and 
mother  and  children,  but  I  stand  in  my  place  to-day 
and  say  that  he  who  shoots  down  his  fellow-man  is 
a  cowardly  brute. 

Is  it  cowardly  to  suffer  wrong  for  the  innocent 
and  helpless?  Is  it  cowardly  to  suffer  an  insult  from 
a  brutal  character?  Is  it  cowardly  to  look  with  com- 
passion upon  a  man  who  would  sacrifice  a  human  life 
to  a  human  passion?  who  thinks  it  is  brave  to  fight? 
who  thinks  it  manly  to  satisfy  his  passion  with  blood  ? 
I  thank  God  that  the  highest  and  truest  and  bravest 
manhood  is  on  a  different  plane. 

Here  is  my  idea  of  a  brave  man.  A  preacher  stood 
on  the  streets  of  my  town  one  Sabbath  afternoon  and 


204  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

preached  to  a  promiscuous  crowd  that  gathered  about 
him.  In  the  course  of  the  sermon  he  said,  "  I  would 
rather  steal  than  sell  liquor."  Said  he,  "  When  I  give 
a  man  liquor  for  his  money  I  give  him  something 
worth  less  than  nothing.  There  is  not  a  father  in  all  the 
land  that  would  not  prefer  his  son  to  be  robbed  rather 
than  his  money  exchanged  for  liquor.  And  if  I  should 
steal  a  man's  money,  I  would  leave  his  person  intact, 
his  character  intact,  and  it  would  not  incapacitate  him 
from  taking  care  of  himself  and  making  more  money. 
If  I  should  sell  him  liquor  and  get  his  money  for  some- 
thing that  is  worth  less  than  nothing,  I  hurt  his 
character,  I  hurt  his  wife,  I  hurt  his  little  children,  I 
hurt  his  business,  and  I  incapacitate  him  for  making 
more  money."  Said  he,  "  I  would  rather  steal.  I 
would  rather  steal." 

The  next  day,  walking  down  the  street,  a  saloon- 
keeper accosted  him,  with  the  vilest  oaths  he  assailed 
him.  The  preacher  stood  calmly  and  unmoved,  and 
looking  him  straight  in  the  eye,  said,  "  I  will  have  no 
personal  altercation  with  you,  sir.  I  fight  a  business 
not  a  man."  The  saloon-keeper  said,  "  If  you  pass  by 
my  door  again  I  will  stamp  you  into  the  earth."  The 
preacher  looked  him  square  in  the  eye  and  said,  "  I 
am  going  after  my  mail.  This  is  my  nearest  way 
home.  I  shall  be  back  here  in  fifteen  minutes."  He 
secured  his  mail  and  calmly  and  deliberately  walked  by 
the  door  as  he  had  done  before.  The  cowardly  saloon- 
keeper stood  in  his  door  and  looked  upon  a  man  who 
had  the  courage  to  speak  his  honest  sentiments  and 
to  walk  in  the  plain  path  of  duty,  fearing  none  but 
God.  He  who  kicks  at  every  dog  that  barks  at  him 


LOVE    YOUR    ENEMIES.  205 

will  have  a  sprained  knee,  his  breeches  torn,  or  wear 
dog-slobbers  half  the  time.  He  who  fights  at  the 
barking  dog  is  very  little  bigger  than  the  dog  that 
barks.  God  has  fixed  a  higher  and  better  law,  the 
practical  working  of  which  will  show  the  world  that 
he  who  made  man  made  the  law. 

God's  law  is,  "  Recompense  to  no  man  evil  for  evil." 
"  Love  your  enemies."  "  Bless  them  that  curse  you.'' 
"  Do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them 
that  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you."  And  ye 
are  commanded  to  do  this  that  ye  may  be  like  your 
Father  in  heaven,  "  who  maketh  the  sun  to  shine  upon 
the  evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth  the  rain  upon 
the  just  and  upon  the  unjust." 

He  who  follows  the  laws  of  Christianity  follows  the 
highest  laws ;  and  he  who  lives  a  Christian  life  lives 
the  manliest  life.  And  the  God  who  commanded  us  to 
return  good  for  evil  fixed  a  law  in  the  human  heart 
by  which  this  very  act  should  heap  coals  of  fire  upon 
the  enemy.  God's  law  is,  that  when  an  enemy  begins 
an  aggressive  course  of  wrong  against  us  we  should 
turn  to  him  a  good  heart,  and  it  will  become  a  sword 
wounding  him  in  every  thrust  that  he  makes.  I  con- 
clude with  two  illustrations. 

When  I  was  at  Emory  and  Henry  College  I  heard 
a  young  man,  whom  I  loved  for  his  manliness  and  his 
gentleness,  telling  a  joke  at  the  expense  of  a  young 
fellow  who  prided  himself  on  his  courage.  He  de- 
liberately walked  up  to  him,  and  placing  his  fist  close 
to  his  face  said,  "  You  are  a  liar."  I  saw  the  blush 
mantle  the  cheek  of  my  friend.  A  tear  came  to  his 
eye  as  he  got  the  reins  of  his  spirit,  and  with  superb 


206  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

self-control  held  himself  a  moment.  "  He  who  con- 
trolleth  his  spirit  is  greater  than  he  who  taketh  a 
city."  He  looked  the  young  man  in  the  face,  and  said: 
"  If  you  were  a  gentleman,  sir,  you  would  not  act 
this  way.  Nothing  short  of  a  gentleman  can  insult 
me.  If  God  will  forgive  your  wickedness  I  ought  to 
forgive  your  insolence,  and  I  do."  He  turned  and 
walked  away  to  his  room.  I  followed  soon  after.  We 
were  sitting  together  in  his  room  talking  of  how 
Christ  bore  the  insults  of  the  vicious,  when  there  was 
a  rap  at  the  door.  My  friend  said,  "  Come  in."  When 
it  opened,  that  same  young  man  was  at  the  door.  The 
tears  had  swapped  eyes.  They  had  gotten  over  into 
his  eyes.  He  said  to  my  friend,  "  I  did  you  a  wrong 
to-day,  and  I  have  come  to  apologize."  My  friend, 
with  a  smile  on  his  face,  extended  his  hand  and  said, 
"  It  is  not  necessary  to  apologize.  It  is  all  right.  It 
is  all  right.  Let  it  go."  I  saw  that  young  man  bury 
his  face  in  his  hands  and  weep  like  a  child.  My  friend 
had  whipped  him  as  he  could  not  have  done  with  all 
the  hickory  withes  in  the  woods.  There  is  something, 
even  in  the  foulest  natures,  that  responds  to  a  manly 

act 

A  Christian  never  has  a  finer  opportunity  to  reveal 
Christ  to  the  world  than  in  a  moment  when  he  has 
been  grossly  insulted.  In  our  Tennessee  country, 
some  years  ago,  two  men  were  living  on  adjoining 
farms.  A  little  creek  divided  their  farms.  On  one 
side  lived  Mr.  J.,  a  Christian  gentleman,  and  on  the 
other  side  lived  Mr.  H.,  an  ill-tempered  sinner.  It  so 
happened  that  Mr.  J.'s  hogs  got  over  the  creek  into 
Mr.  H.'s  fields.  Mr.  H.  saw  them,  became  enraged, 


CONQUERING      BY     LOVE.  207 

took  his  dogs  and  hands  and  went  down  to  the  field 
and  dogged  the  hogs  until  he  had  torn  their  ears  and 
fearfully  abused  them. 

After  he  had  thrown  the  last  one  over  the  fence  into 
the  lane,  he  started  back  home  cursing. 

Mr.  J.  had  stood  on  a  little  hill  overlooking  the  creek 
bottom,  and  had  witnessed  the  whole  scene.  He  turned 
quietly  and  walked  back  home,  saying  to  one  of  his 
hands,  "  I  am  sorry  my  neighbor  allows,  himself  to 
get  into  such  a  mood.  The  poor  hogs  were  not  to 
blame.  I  would  not  have  treated  his  stock  in  that 
way."  But  it  is  easier  to  talk  than  to  act. 

It  was  not  long  until  the  hogs  of  Mr.  H.  got  over 
into  the  fields  of  Mr.  J.  He  saw  them  tearing  to 
pieces  a  beautiful  meadow.  Mr.  H.  saw  them  at  the 
same  time.  Mr.  J.  called  his  two  grown  sons,  walked 
by  the  crib,  put  a  few  handfuls  of  corn  in  his  pocket, 
and  as  they  approached  the  hogs,  he  said  to  one  of  his 
sons,  "  Open  the  fence  that  leads  into  the  lane,"  and 
unto  the  other  son  he  said,  "  Get  around  the  hogs  and 
drive  them  this  way."  At  the  same  time  taking  a  hand- 
ful of  the  corn  from  his  pocket,  throwing  it  toward 
the  hogs,  he  began  in  a  very  kind  tone,  "  Pig,  pig, 
piguay."  Mr.  H.,  having  seen  Mr.  J.  coming  toward 
the  hogs  and  expecting  his  hogs  to  be  treated  as  he 
had  treated  Mr.  J.'s,  put  his  pistol  into  his  pocket, 
and  walked  down  toward  the  two  men,  concealing  him- 
self behind  a  large  dead  tree,  and  was  stirring  the 
muddy  caldron  of  his  wicked  old  soul,  talking  to 
himself  and  saying  what  he  would  do  if  his  hogs 
were  dogged.  Mr.  J.  quietly  led  the  hogs  to  the  gap, 
and  while  his  sons  put  up  the  fence  he  threw  down 


208  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

the  remaining  handfuls  of  corn  to  the  hogs,  remarking 
to  his  sons  "  that  his  neighbor  had  some  very  fine 
hogs."  Just  as  they  started  home  Mr.  H.  stepped  out 
from  behind  the  tree  and  called,  "  Mr.  J.,  stop  there.'* 
Mr.  J.  stopped.  He  walked  up  to  him  and  said,  "  I 
feel  like  lying  down  in  this  road  and  letting  you  put 
your  foot  on  my  neck.  I  am  not  fit  to  be  the  neighbor 
of  such  a  man  as  you  are.  If  you  will  shake  hands 
with  such  a  man  as  I  am,  I  want  to  promise  you  that 
I  will  make  you  a  better  neighbor,  and  I  could  not 
make  you  the  neighbor  I  ought  to  make  without  the 
religion  you  have.  And  I  want  you  to  pray  that  I 
may  be  a  Christian."  Mr.  J.  said,  "  Why,  neighbor,  I 
have  nothing  against  you.  The  Lord  bless  you,  sir, 
I  have  been  praying  for  you  all  these  years,  and  shall 
continue  to  do  so."  It  was  but  a  short  time  until  Mr. 
H.  became  a  consistent  member  of  the  church,  and  a 
kind  and  accommodating  neighbor. 

Brethren,  let  us  teach  this  old  world  what  Chris- 
tianity is  by  giving  to  it  some  living  examples.  Here 
is  an  example : 

See  that  lion  coming.  Hear  him  roar.  He  fairly 
shakes  the  hills.  A  little  child  has  escaped  from  the 
caravan,  and  a  little  lamb  has  wandered  from  the 
fold.  They  are  in  the  track  of  the  great  old  lion. 
See !  see !  he  approaches  the  little  lamb,  with  his  great 
paw  strikes  it  to  the  earth  and  devours  it.  See  how 
he  approaches  the  little  child,  strikes  it  to  the  earth 
with  his  great  paw,  tears  limb  from  limb  and  devours 
it.  Look  at  his  fiery  eyes.  Hear  his  awful  roar.  See 
his  bloody  teeth.  What  is  that?  That  is  a  picture  of 
human  life  following  the  laws  of  human  nature.  See 


THE    GOLDEN    AGE.  209 

that  old  lion.  He  comes  again.  He  is  the  same  old 
lion  in  many  respects,  but  we  hear  no  horrible  roar. 
His  eyes  look  as  gentle  as  old  Rover's,  and  he  walks 
as  gentle  as  old  Rover.  See,  in  his  shaggy  mane  are 
the  fingers  of  a  little  child.  Look,  a  little  lamb  walks 
by  his  side.  See  them  come  toward  the  gate.  They 
have  walked  under  the  shadow  of  a  tree.  The  old  lion 
lies  down  lazily.  See,  the  little  child  pillows  its  head 
upon  his  shaggy  mane.  The  lamb  lies  down  at  his 
feet.  What  is  that?  This  is  a  picture  of  human 
nature  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Where  did  I  get  that  picture?  I  got  it  from 
this  blessed  old  Bible.  The  old  prophet  looked  down 
through  the  ages  and  saw  the  coming  Christ,  and  he 
said  in  substance :  "  The  lion  and  the  lamb  shall  lie 
down  together,  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them."  Oh, 
beautiful,  childlike  Christianity,  put  thy  gentle  hand 
upon  the  shaggy  mane  of  our  human  nature,  and  lead 
us  into  the  green  meadows  and  beside  the  still  waters. 
Oh,  thou  blessed  Lamb,  come  thou  and  walk  with 
us,  and  grant  that  we,  redeemed  from  the  domination 
of  wicked  tempers  and  passions,  may  walk  the  earth 
in  peace  and  gentleness. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  PEACE 

"  My  message  to  you  is  '  Peace  on  earth,  good-will 
to  men.'  Good-will  is  the  basis  of  peace  at  home  or 
between  nations. 

"  Since  my  visit  to  the  Netherlands  my  thoughts 
have  been  dwelling  much  upon  the  important  part  that 


210  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

that  little  nation  is  destined  to  take  in  the  movement 
that  has  for  its  object  the  substitution  of  reason  for 
force  in  the  settlement  of  differences  between  nations. 
I  have  been  recalling  the  stubborn  fight  made  by  the 
sturdy  Dutch  for  liberty  of  conscience,  freedom  of 
speech  and  constitutional  government,  and  have  re- 
joiced that  at  last  the  fragrant  flower  of  peace  has 
appeared  upon  the  thorny  stalk  of  war.  It  is  fitting 
that  the  Temple  of  Peace  should  stand  upon  the 
ground  that  was  the  scene  of  eighty  years'  conflict, 
and  I  am  glad  that  an  American  citizen  has  so 
generously  provided  for  its  construction. 

"  A  prophet  in  olden  times  foretold  the  coming  of 
an  era  of  peace  so  universal  and  profound  that  to 
emphasize  it  he  pictured  it  as  extending  even  to  the 
beasts :  '  The  wolf  and  the  lamb/  he  said,  '  shall 
dwell  together ;  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the 
kid ;  the  calf,  the  lion  and  the  fading  shall  keep  com- 
pany together,  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.' 

"Are  our  eyes  to  witness  the  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy?  ....  We  must  not  expect  all 
armies  to  be  disbanded  at  once,  or  look  for  the  im- 
mediate settlement  of  all  questions  by  arbitration. 
Progress  is  slow.  There  is,  however,  reason  to  believe 
that  the  light  of  a  better  day  is  already  breaking.  .  .  . 

"  It  is  not  upon  the  plutocracy  of  wealth,  nor  upon 
the  aristocracy  of  learning,  but  upon  the  democracy  of 
the  heart  that  the  hope  of  universal  arbitration  and 
permanent  peace  must  rest.  The  conscience  is  the 
most  potent  force  of  which  man  has  personal 
knowledge,  and,  when  quickened,  its  gentle  promptings 
are  more  imperative  than  statute  laws,  and  the  invisible 


ELIJAH'S    EXPERIENCE.  211 

barriers  with  which  it  surrounds  one  are  stionger 
than  prison  walls. 

"  When  Elijah  was  fleeing  from  the  wrath  of  Jezebel 
and  believed  all  the  prophets  to  have  been  slain,  the 
Lord  commanded  him  to  stand  upon  the  mountain,  and 
as  he  stood  there  a  mighty  wind  swept  by  him  and  rent 
the  rocks  asunder,  but  God  was  not  in  the  wind ;  and 
after  the  wind  came  an  earthquake,  but  God  was  not 
in  the  earthquake ;  and  after  the  earthquake  a  fire, 
but  God  was  not  in  the  fire ;  and  after  the  fire  a  still, 
small  voice,  and  it  was  the  voice  of  God. 

"  Even  so  to-day,  an  increasing  number  of  people 
throughout  the  world,  standing  upon  the  heights,  are 
learning  that  God  is  not  in  the  ironclads  that  sweep 
the  ocean  with  their  guns,  nor  in  the  armies  that 
shake  the  earth  with  their  tread,  nor  yet  in  the  fire 
of  musketry,  but  in  the  still  small  voice  of  justice  that 
issues  from  tribunals  like  that  recently  instituted  at 
The  Hague.  May  this  tribunal  justify  its  creation  and 
insure  its  perpetuity  by  judging  the  nations  with 
righteousness,  and  reproving  with  equity." — Bryan. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE 

"  The  last  battle  of  the  Far  Eastern  war  has  been 
fought  out  on  American  soil,  and  has  resulted  in  a 
victory  for  peace — the  most  decisive  triumph  of  its 
kind  known  to  this  generation.  On  historic  ground, 
the  chosen  statesmen  of  Russia  and  Japan  fought  their 
good  fight,  with  swords  in  sheath  and  artillery  silent; 
yet  it  was  marked  by  grander  achievement  than  any 


212  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACH:. 

previous  encounter  in  that  long  campaign.  A  peace 
is  of  the  nature  of  a  conquest ;  for  then  both  parties 
nobly  are  subdued,  and  neither  party  loser. 

"  At  the  moment  when  peace  was  announced, 
(August  29,  1905)  two  of  the  greatest  armies  ever 
assembled  were  facing  each  other — a  million  of  men 
in  arms !  Europe  stood  still  awaiting  the  impending 
shock.  It  was  our  opportunity,  and  we  thank  God 
for  the  courage  and  statesmanship  that  led  us  to  grasp 
it.  Nothing  that  Theodore  Roosevelt,  the  peacemaker, 
has  done,  or  may  hereafter  do,  will  equal  in  renown 
his  act  in  halting  the  slaughter  and  summoning  the 
warring  powers  to  settle  their  quarrel  across  the  table 
in  that  building  in  old  Portsmouth  town,  above  which 
fluttered  the  emblem  of  human  liberty — the  Stars  and 
Stripes. 

"  The  hand  of  God  was  in  the  conference  at  Ports- 
mouth. He  has  heard  the  prayers  of  his  people  and 
has  directed  the  deliberations.  One  by  one,  the 
seemingly  insurmountable  barriers  which  arose  to  im- 
pede the  work  of  the  conference  were  broken  down. 
Bitterness  gave  way  to  conciliation,  the  mists  broke  and 
dissolved,  and  the  work  was  done. 

"  God  grant  that  the  peace  may  be  secure  and  last- 
ing, and  that  it  may  mark  a  step  forward  in  the 
world's  progress  toward  that  blessed  time  when 
'  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither 
shall  they  learn  war  any  more.' ':  — (From  the  Christian 
Herald,  Bible  House,  N.  Y.) 


PART  SIX 


The  Exemption  Act  of  the  Confederate  Congress, 
Journey  to  Annual  Meeting  in  1862. — Payment 
of  Fines,  and  Thanksgiving. — Exemption  of  Non- 
resistants  from  Military  Duty  by  the  United  States 
Government  in  1 903. — A  Memorial. 


THE  EXEMPTION  ACT  OF  THE    CON- 
FEDERATE CONGRESS* 

AN  ACT  to  exempt  certain  persons  from  military 
duty,  and  to  repeal  an  Act  entitled,  "  An  Act  to  exempt 
certain  persons  from  enrollment  for  service  in  the 
army  of  the  Confederate  States,"  approved  21st  April, 
1862. 

The  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America 
do  enact  that  all  persons  who  shall  be  held  unfit  for 
military  service  in  the  field,  by  reason  of  bodily  or 
mental  incapacity  or  imbecility,  under  rules  to  be  pre- 
scribed by  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Vice-President 
of  the  Confederate  States;  the  officers  judicial  and 
executive,  of  the  Confederate  State  governments, 
including  postmasters  appointed  by  the  President,  and 
confirmed  by  the  Senate,  and  such  clerks  in  their 
offices  as  are  allowed  by  the  Postmaster  General  and 
now  employed,  and  excluding  all  other  postmasters, 
their  assistants  and  clerks;  and  except  such  State 
officers  as  the  several  States  may  have  declared,  or 
may  hereafter  declare  by  law  to  be  liable  to  military 
duty;  the  members  of  both  Houses  of  the  Congress 
of  the  Confederate  States,  and  of  the  Legislatures  of 
the  several  States,  and  their  respective  officers;  all 
clerks  now  in  the  offices  of  the  Confederate  and  State 
governments  authorized  by  law  receiving  salaries  or 

"Copied  by  H.  M.  Hays,  in  the  National  Library,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  July,  1904. 

215 


216  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

fees ;  all  volunteer  troops  heretofore  raised  by  any 
State  since  the  passage  of  the  Act  entitled:  "An  Act 
further  to  provide  for  the  public  defense,"  approved 
April  16,  1862,  while  such  troops  shall  be  in  active 
service  under  State  authority :  Provided  that  this 
exemption  shall  not  apply  to  any  person  who  was  liable 
to  be  called  into  service  by  virtue  of  said  Act  of  April 
16,  1862 ;  all  pilots  and  persons  engaged  in  the  mer- 
chant marine  service ;  the  President,  Superintendents, 
conductors,  two  expert  track  hands  to  each  section 
of  eight  miles,  and  mechanics  in  the  active  service  and 
employment  of  railroad  companies,  not  to  embrace 
laborers,  porters  and  messengers ;  the  president, 
general  superintendent,  and  operator  of  telegraph 
companies,  the  local  superintendent  and  operators  of 
said  companies,  not  to  exceed  four  in  number  in  any 
locality,  but  that  of  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
Confederate  States ;  the  president,  superintendents, 
captains,  engineers,  chief  clerk  and  mechanics  in  the 
active  service  and  employment  of  all  companies  en- 
gaged in  river  and  canal  navigation,  and  all  captains 
of  boats  and  engineers  therein  employed ;  one  editor 
of  each  newspaper  now  being  published,  and  such 
employes  as  the  editor  or  proprietor  may  certify  on 
oath  to  be  indispensable  for  conducting  the  publication ; 
the  Public  Printer,  and  those  employed  to  perform  the 
public  printing  for  the  Confederate  and  State  govern- 
ments ;  every  minister  of  religion  authorized  to  preach 
according  to  the  rules  of  his  sect  and  in  the  regular 
discharge  of  ministerial  duties,  and  all  persons  who 
have  been  and  now  arc  members  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  the  Association  of  Dunkards,  Nazarenes 


EXEMPTION    ACT.  217 

and  Mennonites,  in  regular  membership  in  their  respec- 
tive denominations;  provided  members  of  the  society 
of  Friends,  Nasarenes,  Mennonites  and  Dunkards  shall 
furnish  substitutes  or  pay  a  tax  of  $500.00  each  into 
the  public  Treasury;  all  physicians  who  now  are  and 
for  the  last  five  years  have  been  in  the  actual  practice 
of  their  profession;  all  shoemakers,  tanners,  black- 
smiths, wagon-makers,  millers  and  their  engineers, 
millwrights  skilled  and  actually  employed  at  their 
regular  vocation  in  the  said  trades,  habitually  engaged 
in  working  for  the  public,  and  whilst  so  actually 
employed;  provided  said  persons  shall  make  oath  in 
writing  that  they  are  so  skilled  and  actually  employed 
at  the  time  at  their  regular  vocation  in  one  of  the  above 
trades,  which  affidavit  shall  only  be  prima  facie 
evidence  of  the  facts  therein  stated;  provided  further 
that  the  exemption  herein  granted  to  persons  by  reason 
of  their  peculiar  mechanical  or  other  occupation  or 
employment,  not  connected  with  the  public  service, 
shall  be  subject  to  the  condition  that  the  products  of 
the  labor  of  such  exempts,  or  of  the  companies  and 
establishments  with  which  they  are  connected,  shall  be 
sold  and  disposed  of  by  the  proprietors  at  prices  not 
exceeding  seventy-five  per  cent  upon  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction, or  within  a  maximum  to  be  fixed  by  the 
Secretary  of  War,  under  such  regulations  as  he  may 
prescribe;  and  it  is  further  provided  that  if  the  pro- 
prietors of  any  such  manufacturing  establishments 
shall  be  shown  upon  evidence  to  be  committed  to  and 
judged  of  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  have  violated 
or  in  any  manner  evaded  the  true  intent  and  spirit 
of  the  foregoing  proviso,  the  exemptions  therein 


218  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

granted  shall  no  longer  be  extended  to  them,  their 
superintendents  or  operatives  in  said  establishments, 
but  they  and  each  and  every  one  of  them  shall  be 
forthwith  enrolled  under  the  provisions  of  this  act, 
and  ordered  into  the  Confederate  army,  and  shall  in 
no  event  be  exempted  therefrom  again  by  reason  of 
said  manufacturing  establishments,  or  employment 
therein ;  all  superintendents  of  public  hospitals,  lunatic 
asylums,  and  the  regular  physicians,  nurses  and  attend- 
ants therein,  and  the  teachers  employed  in  the  institu- 
tions for  the  deaf,  dumb  and  blind ;  in  each  apothecary 
store  now  established  and  doing  business,  one  apothe- 
cary in  good  standing,  who  is  a  practical  apothecary; 
superintendents  and  operators  in  wool  and  cotton 
factories,  paper  mills,  and  superintendents  and  mana- 
gers of  wool-carding  machines,  who  may  be  exempted 
by  the  Secretary  of  War ;  provided  the  profits  of  such 
establishments  shall  not  exceed  seventy-five  per  cent 
upon  the  cost  of  production,  to  be  determined  upon 
oath  of  the  parties,  subject  to  the  same  penalties  for 
violation  of  the  provisions  herein  contained  as  are 
hereinbefore  provided  in  case  of  other  manufacturing 
and  mechanical  employments ;  all  presidents  and 
teachers  of  colleges,  academies,  schools  and  theological 
seminaries,  who  have  been  regularly  engaged  as  such 
for  two  years  previous  to  the  passage  of  this  Act ;  all 
artisans,  mechanics  and  employes  in  the  establishments 
of  the  Government  for  the  manufacture  of  arms, 
ordnance,  ordnance  stores,  and  other  munitions  of 
war,  saddles,  harness  and  army  supplies,  who  may  be 
certified  by  the  officer  in  charge  thereof,  as  necessary 
for  such  establishments;  also  all  artisans,  mechanics 


EXEMPTION    ACT.  219 

and  employes  in  the  establishments  of  such  persons 
as  are  or  may  be  engaged  under  contracts  with  the 
Government  in  furnishing  arms,  ordnance,  ordnance 
stores,  and  other  munitions  of  war;  provided  that  the 
chief  of  the  Ordnance  Bureau,  or  some  ordnance 
officer  authorized  by  him  for  the  purpose,  shall  ap- 
prove of  the  number  of  the  operatives  required  in  each 
establishment;  all  persons  employed  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  arms  or  ordnance  of  any  kind  by  the  several 
States  or  by  contractors  to  furnish  the  same  to  the 
several  State  Governments,  whom  the  Governor  or 
Secretary  of  State  thereof  may  certify  to  be  necessary 
to  the  same ;  all  persons  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
ships,  gun-boats,  engines,  sails,  or  other  articles  neces- 
sary to  the  public  defense  under  the  direction  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy;  all  superintendents,  managers, 
mechanics  and  miners  employed  in  the  production 
and  manufacture  of  salt  to  the  extent  of  twenty  bushels 
per  day,  and  of  lead  and  iron,  and  all  persons  engaged 
in  burning  coke  for  smelting  and  manufacture  of  iron, 
regular  miners  in  coal  mines,  and  all  colliers  engaged 
in  making  charcoal  for  making  pig  and  bar  iron,  not 
to  embrace  laborers,  messengers,  wagoners,  and  serv- 
ants, unless  employed  at  works  conducted  under  the 
authority  and  by  the  officers  or  agents  of  a  State,  or 
in  works  employed  in  the  production  of  iron  for  the 
Confederate  States ;  one  male  citizen  for  every  500 
head  of  cattle,  for  every  250  head  of  horses  or  mules, 
and  one  shepherd  for  every  500  head  of  sheep,  of  such 
persons  as  are  engaged  exclusively  in  raising  stock: 
provided  there  is  no  white  male  adult  not  liable  to 
military  duty  engaged  with  such  person  in  raising 


220  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

said  stock ;  to  secure  the  proper  police  of  the  country, 
one  person  as  agent,  owner  or  overseer  on  each 
plantation  of  twenty  negroes,  and  on  which  there  is 
no  white  male  adult  not  liahle  to  military  service ; 
and  furthermore  for  additional  police  for  every  twenty 
negroes  on  two  or  more  plantations,  within  five  miles 
of  each  other  and  each  having  less  than  twenty 
negroes,  and  on  which  there  is  no  white  male  adult 
not  liable  to  military  duty,  one  person,  being  the 
oldest  of  the  owners  or  overseers  of  such  plantations ; 
and  such  other  persons  as  the  President  shall  be 
satisfied  on  account  of  justice,  equity,  or  necessity, 
ought  to  be  exempted,  are  hereby  exempted  from 
military  service  in  the  armies  of  the  Confederate 
States;  and  also  a  regiment  raised  under  and  by 
authority  of  the  State  of  Texas  for  frontier  defense, 
now  in  the  service  of  said  State,  while  in  such  service ; 
provided  further  that  the  exemptions  herein  above 
enumerated  and  granted,  hereby  shall  only  continue 
whilst  the  persons  exempted  are  actually  engaged  in 
their  respective  pursuits  or  occupations. 

Section  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  Act 
entitled,  "An  Act  to  exempt  certain  persons  from 
enrollment  for  service  in  the  armies  of  the  Confederate 
States,"  approved  April  21,  1862,  is  hereby  repealed. 

Approved  Oct.  11,  1862. 

From  the  Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Con- 
federate Armies,  Series  4,  Vol.  2,  pages  160-162. 

National  Library,  Washington,  D.  C. 


JOHN   KLINE'S   JOURNEY.  221 

ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  1862 

[In  Brother  Kline's  own  handwriting  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of  1862,  including 
his  journey  and  meetings  by  the  way.  He  had  been  re- 
leased from  the  guardhouse  April  18  and  on  Thursday, 
May  29,  he  started  to  the  Annual  Meeting.] 

Bowmans  Mill,  Rockingham  Co.,  Va., 

July  2nd,  1862. 

My  dear  Brother:  I  embrace  the  opportunity  to 
inform  you,  and,  through  the  Visitor,  all  the  Brethren 
North  and'  West  that  Brother  John  Wine  and  myself, 
as  well  as  Brother  Abram  Kline,  have  arrived  home 
safe,  and  in  reasonable  health  as  well  as  our  brethren 
and  families,  thank  the  Lord. 

OUR  JOURNEY: — On  the  29th  day  of  May,  1862, 
Brother  John  Wine  and  myself  started  West  for  the 
Annual  Meeting  in  the  midst  of  all  the  surrounding 
difficulties.  On  the  evening  of  the  30th,  after  having 
traveled  over  rugged  paths  and  through  part  of  the 
army  of  General  Fremont,  we  came  to  the  house  of 
Brother  Martin  Cosner,  who  with  the  dear  sister 
received  us  with  joy  and  kindness.  After  having  a 
pleasant  interview  and  night's  lodging,  we  started  in 
the  morning  of  the  31st  and  came  to  our  Brethren 
Thomas  Clark,  Sr.,  and  Thomas  Clark,  Jr.,  on  the 
Alleghany  Mountain,  where  we  remained  over  Sunday, 
holding  several  meetings  in  the  neighborhood.  On  the 
2nd  of  June,  after  enjoying  much  the  fellowship  of 
our  brethren  as  many  as  we  saw,  we  started  for 
Oakland  Station  in  company  with  Brother  Clark,  who 
brought  our  horses  back  to  his  house  to  keep  till  our 


222  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

return.  At  1 1 :  30  we  took  the  cars,  and  arrived  at 
five  P.  M.  in  Bellaire,  Ohio,  where  we  stayed  all  night 
at  the  Eagle  tavern.  On  the  morning  of  the  3rd  we 
took  the  cars  and  came  to  Dayton  between  three  and 
four  o'clock,  and  not  finding  conveyance  to  go  out 
into  the  country,  we  stayed  all  night  with  Brother 
and  Sister  Yost.  In  the  morning  of  the  4th  we  visited 
several  acquaintances  in  Dayton,  after  which  we  took 
the  cars  and  came  to  Brookville  Station.  We  dined 
with  friend  Garst  and  then  came  to  the  place  of 
meeting,  where  we  found  many  brethren  and  sisters 
engaged  in  fixing  the  tent,  and  making  preparations 
of  different  kinds  for  the  meeting.  In  this  neighbor- 
hood we  visited  friends  and  brethren,  having  a  number 
of  meetings,  when  on  the  7th  we  came  back  to  the 
place  of  meeting  where  preaching  commenced  and 
continued  till  Sunday  evening.  On  Monday  morning 
the  brethren  entered  into  the  business  of  the  church, 
public  preaching  still  going  on  till  sometime  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  Standing  Committee  was  ready  to 
report  and  deliver  the  queries  to  the  sub-committees. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  llth  the  business  of  the 
church  was  completed  and  the  meeting  came  to  a  close. 
It  was  a  solemn  parting  indeed.  Many  who  had  the 
social  enjoyment  of  the  Brethren  at  this  meeting  had 
to  part  with  the  sad  thought  of  probably  never  to 
meet  any  more  in  this  world.  But  how  cheering  the 
thought  that  if  we  be  faithful,  we  shall  meet  in  that 
happy  region  where  parting  will  be  no  more. 

After  the  close  of  meeting  we  were  taken  to  the 
home  of  our  sister,  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Miller, 
where  we  were  kindly  entertained,  and  on  the  morning 


BRO.  KLINE'S  JOURNEY.  223 

of  the  12th  they  brought  us  to  Dayton,  whence  we 
were  taken  to  the  home  of  Brother  Abram  Young 
who  brought  me  to  Midway  to  Brother  Henry  Zim- 
merman's, where  I  lodged  that  night.  On  the  morning 
of  the  13th  Brother  Zimmerman  brought  me  to 
Osburg  Station,  where  were  Bro.  John  Wine  and 
others,  some  on  the  cars,  and  some  by  private  convey- 
ance, and  here  we  started  together  for  Forest  Station, 
where,  after  the  train  arrived,  we  found  that  other 
brethren  were  on  board,  some  from  Ohio  and  some 
from  Pennsylvania,  among  whom  was  Brother  John 
Umstead.  So  all  together  we  went  toward  Pittsburg, 
the  brethren  in  Ohio  stopping  off  by  groups  at  their 
respective  stations,  where  we  arrived  at  two  in  the 
night.  From  Pittsburg  we  continued  by  railway  to 
Greensburg,  Pa.,  where  Brother  Jonathan  Lichty, 
John  Wine,  Abram  Kline  and  myself,  at  daybreak, 
left  the  cars,  ate  our  breakfast,  and  in  a  hack  came 
to  Brother  Abram  Myer's,  near  Mt.  Pleasant,  then  to 
Brother  Martin  Myer's  in  Milford  church,  where  some 
of  us  stayed  all  night.  Next  morning  being  Sunday, 
we  came  to  the  meetinghouse  where  the  brethren  -had 
a  love  feast.  We  had  a  fine  meeting — several  persons 
were  baptized.  Here  we  met  our  Brother  Jacob 
Thomas  from  Preston  county,  Va.  That  night  we 
stayed  with  Brother  Jacob  Miller,  and  next  morning 
we  came  to  Brother  Daniel  Miller's,  near  the  Elklick 
meetinghouse,  where  we  stayed  till  next  morning,  the 
17th,  when  a  love  feast  was  held  that  day — three 
persons  were  baptized.  We  continued  here  yet  the 
18th  to  attend  with  Brother  Thomas  as  a  committee  to 
settle  some  church  business.  After  coming  to  an 


224  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

amicable  adjustment  of  the  difficulties,  we  came  to 
Brother  David  Beechly's,  who  next  morning  brought 
us  to  Frostburg,  Md.,  where  we  took  the  cars  to 
Cumberland,  thence  to  Oakland,  where  on  the  morning 
of  the  20th  we  hired  a  spring  wagon,  went  to  Brother 
Clark's,  got  our  horses  and  came  that  evening  down 
over  the  Alleghany  to  Brother  Michael  and  Thomas 
D.  Lyon's,  where  we  stayed  all  night  and  spent  the 
time  pleasantly  with  the  brethren  and  sisters.  On  the 
21st  we  came  on  to  Enoch  Higher  s,  visiting  on  the 
way  our  old  blind  Sister  Parks.  At  Higher's  we  took 
dinner,  much  delighted  to  see  Sister  Higher,  not 
having  seen  her  for  some  time.  We  then  came  to 
Brother  John  Mongol's  where  we  stayed  all  night, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd  we  took  up  our 
journey  and  might  have  reached  home  that  evening, 
but  a  rain  came  up  and  we  turned  aside  to  Brother 
Michael  Wine's  in  Brock's  Gap.  Next  morning,  the 
23rd,  we  came  across  the  mountain  path,  where  we 
parted,  Brother  John  Wine  toward  his  home  and  I 
towards  mine,  where  I  arrived  at  about  nine  o'clock 
that  day,  thank  the  Lord. 

Times,  my  dear  brethren,  are  truly  dark  with 
dangers,  and  uncertain.  What  will  be  the  final  result 
none  can  tell.  Our  brethren  have  much  to  pay,  so  that 
it  will  be  a  considerable  burden  on  all — those  that  are 
able  have  paid  from  $800  to  $1,500  for  substitutes, 
and  now  to  help  those  that  are  not  able  to  pay  the  $500 
fine  to  get  them  free  is  hard.  It  may  wean  us  off  from 
the  worldly  treasure. 

So  now,  my  dear  brethren,  I  recommend  all,  both 
North  and  South,  East  and  West,  into  the  hands  of 


BRO.    KLINE'S   FAREWELL.  225 

God.  May  his  mercy  and  grace  be  with  us  all,  and 
may  the  Lord  so  overrule  things  that  peace  and  amity 
might  be  restored.  Farewell,  brethren.  Pray  for  us 
when  you  approach  the  throne  of  grace.  My  greeting 
to  you  all.  Amen. 

JOHN  KLINE. 


226  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

PAYMENT  OF  FINES  AND  THANKS- 
GIVING 

In  his  memorandum  book  of  1862-3,  Brother  Kline 
records  the  names  of  those  who  paid  the  military  fine 
in  Linville  Creek  congregation,  giving  the  amount 
received  and  the  amount  paid  by  him  in  each  case; 
and  where  the  amount  received  did  not  equal  $500, 
he  advanced  the  difference,  or  borrowed  the  money 
and  squared  the  account  agreeably  to  the  following- 
entry  : 

"December  30th,   1862. 

"  I  paid  to  Mr.  Woodward,  the  Receiver  of  fines, 
$500  for  each  of  the  following  persons: 

Harvey  Fifer.  George  W.  Ritchie. 

Philip  Baker.  William  Ford. 

Adam   Ritchie.  John  A.  White. 

Samuel  R,  Wine.  George  Rodecap. 

George  Smith.  Adam   Andes. 

James  W.    Fitzwater.  John  K.  Kline. 

William  Spitzer.  Isaac  Kline. 

Henry  W.  Moyers.  '                George  Kline. 

Jacob  Fitzwater.  Samuel  Kagey. 

Then,  on  New  Year's  Day,  1863,  the  following  is 
recorded  in  his  memorandum  book: 

"January   1st,   1863. 

"  FAST    AND    THANKSGIVING    DAY. 

"  The  Brethren  meet  at  Linville  Creek  meetinghouse 
in  thanksgiving  for  the  Lord's  kind  overruling  hand 
so  affecting  our  Congress  that  we  were  exempted  from 
military  duty  by  paying  a  fine." 

Thus  the  eventful  year,  1862,  closed  with  a  settle- 
ment of  accounts,  and  the  New  Year  opens  with 
thanksgiving. 


EXEMPTION    ACT    OF    1903.  227 

EXEMPTION    OF    NONRESISTANTS   FROM 

MILITARY  DUTY  BY  UNITED  STATES 

GOVERNMENT  IN  1903 

REFERENCE  has  been  made  to  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  as  the  great  Charter  of  American 
Liberty,  which  provides  that  "  Congress  shall  make 
no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion,  or 
prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof;  or  abridging  th^ 
freedom  of  speech,  or  of  the  press,  or  the  right  of  the 
people  peaceably  to  assemble,  and  to  petition  the 
government  for  a  redress  of  grievances." 

This  was  supplemented  by  an  Act  passed  by  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  and  approved 
by  the  President,  January  21,  1903,  entitled  an  "Act 
to  prorhote  the  efficiency  of  the  military  and  for  other 
purposes."  The  Act  contains  twenty-six  sections, — 
the  first  and  second  are  given  below.  We  call  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  proviso  in  Section  2: 

"Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress 
assembled,  That  the  militia  shall  consist  of  every  able- 
bodied  male  citizen  of  the  respective  States,  Territories, 
and  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  every  able-bodied 
male  of  foreign  birth  who  has  declared  his  intention 
to  become  a  citizen,  who  is  more  than  eighteen  and  less 
than  forty-five  years  of  age,  and  shall  be  divided  into 
two  classes — the  organized  militia,  to  be  known  as  the 
National  Guard  of  the  State,  Territory,  or  District  of 
Columbia,  or  by  such  other  designations  as  may  be 
given  them  by  the  laws  of  the  respective  States,  or 


228  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

Territories,  and  the  remainder  to  be  known  as  the 
Reserve  Militia." 

"  Section  2.  That  the  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States,  the  officers,  judicial  and  executive,  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  the  members  and 
officers  of  each  House  of  Congress,  persons  in  the 
military  or  naval  service  of  the  United  States,  all 
customhouse  officers,  with  their  clerks,  postmasters  and 
persons  employed  at  any  ferry  on  a  post  road,  artificers 
and  workmen  employed  in  the  armories  and  arsenals 
of  the  United  States,  pilots,  mariners  actually  employed 
in  the  sea  service  of  any  citizen,  or  merchant  within 
the  United  States,  and  all  persons  who  are  exempted 
by  the  laws  of  the  respective  States  and  Territories, 
shall  be  exempted  from  militia  duty  without  regard  to 
age :  PROVIDED,  THAT  NOTHING  IN  THIS  ACT 

SHALL  BE  CONSTRUED  TO  REQUIRE,  OR  COMPEL  ANY 
MEMBER  OF  ANY  WELL-RECOGNIZED  RELIGIOUS  SECT  OR 
ORGANIZATION  AT  PRESENT  ORGANIZED  AND  EXISTING 
WHOSE  CREED  FORBIDS  ITS  MEMBERS  TO  PARTICIPATE 
IN  WAR  IN  ANY  FORM,  AND  WHOSE  RELIGIOUS  CON- 
VICTIONS ARE  AGAINST  WAR  OR  PARTICIPATION  THEREIN, 
IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE  CREED  OF  SAID  RELIGIOUS 
ORGANIZATION,  TO  SERVE  IN  THE  MILITIA  OR  ANY  OTHER 
ARMED  OR  VOLUNTEER  FORCE"  UNDER  THE  JURISDICTION 
AND  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES." 

This  Act  stands  as  a  monument  to  the  enlightened 
Government  of  the  United  States,  and  as  an  example 
for  all  other  nations.  D.  H. 


MEMORIAL    OF    THE     FRIENDS.  229 

MEMORIAL 

"  To  the  Honorable   The  Legislature  of  Virginia: 

"  Your  petitioners,  members  of  the  Religious  Society 
of  Friends  (called  Quakers),  desire  respectfully  to 
call  your  attention  to  that  portion  of  the  Governor's 
Message  in  which  he  recommends  the  repeal  of  the 
law  exempting  certain  Religious  Denominations  from 
military  duty  by  payment  of  a  tax. 

"  In  his  remarks  on  the  subject,  the  Governor,  doubt- 
less unintentionally,  does  great  injustice  to,  at  least 
one  of  those  Sects,  the  Friends.  He  assumes  that  the 
payment  of  said  tax  is  an  acknowledgment  on  the  part 
of  those  paying  it  that  some  aid  is  due  from  them  to  the 
Government  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war :  on  the  con- 
trary we  have  paid  said  tax  under  protest,  it  being  one 
of  the  established  principles  of  our  Society  from  its 
rise  unto  the  present  day,  that  a  Christian  has  no 
right  to  take  up  the  weapons  of  carnal  warfare  for 
any  earthly  consideration ;  yet  we  believe  it  our  duty 
as  good  citizens,  '  To  be  in  subjection  to  the  powers 
that  be,'  and  as  the  exemption  law,  both  o'f  the  Con- 
federate and  State  Governments  omitted  to  make  any 
provision  for  distraint  where  the  tax  was  not  paid, 
it  seemed  to  present  the  subject  in  a  manner  similar 
to  that  in  which  the  Savior  directed  the  tribute  money 
to  be  paid — '  That  we  offend  them  not.' 

"  The  discipline  of  every  Yearly  Meeting  of  our 
Society  prohibits  its  members  from  taking  part  in  any 
way  in  war ;  from  mustering,  or  paying  any  fine  im- 
posed for  not  mustering,  requiring  its  members  in 


230  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

all  such  cases,  quietly  to  submit  to  any  distraints  for 
said  fine,  and  prohibiting  them  from  concealing  their 
property,  or  in  any  way  evading  said  laws. 

"  We  believe  that  the  Constitution  of  Virginia  does, 
in  those  clauses  which  secure  to  every  man  the  right 
to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own 
conscience,  afford  ground  for  exemption  to  the  mem- 
bers of  our  Society,  as  it  is  well  known  that  we 
worship  God  not  only  as  '  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The 
Mighty  God,  The  Everlasting  Father,'  but  also  as  the 
'  Prince  of  Peace.'  Therefore  a  bill  exempting  those 
who  worship  him  as  the  Prince  of  Peace,  to  wit: 
Friends  and  Dunkers  (Brethren),  instead  of  being 
unconstitutional  as  the  Governor  suggests,  would,  it 
seems  to  us,  only  be  a  provision  to  carry  out  the  great 
principle  set  forth  in  the  Virginia  Bill  of  Rights,  Sec. 
16,  viz :  '  That  religion,  or  the  duty  we  owe  to  our 
Creator,  and  the  manner  of  discharging  it,  can  be 
directed  only  by  reason  and  conviction,  not  by  force 
or  violence,  and  therefore  all  men  are  equally  entitled 
to  the  free  exercise  of  religion  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  conscience;  and  that  it  is  the  mutual  duty  of 
all  to  practice  Christian  forbearance,  love  and  charity 
towards  each  other ; '  and  we  have  come  to  ask  Chris- 
tian charity  at  your  hands,  because,  while  we  judge 
not  for  others,  for  ourselves  we  believe  that  by  taking 
up  the  weapons  of  carnal  warfare,  even  in  the  defense 
of  our  dearest  rights,  or  life  itself,  we  would  endanger 
the  welfare  of  our  immortal  souls." 

The  Petition  then  quotes  freely  from  the  early 
Church  Fathers,  Authors,  and  Reformers  to  provr 
that  this  belief  is  not  original  with  the  Friends ;  and 


MEMORIAL     OF   THE     FRIENDS.  231 

produces  from  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  and  precepts 
from  the  New  Testament,  the  Scripture  in  support  of 
Peace  Principles,  much  of  which  has  already  been 
given  in  this  Work.  It  closes  as  follows : 

"  \Ve  have  thus  endeavored  in  meekness,  to  render 
a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  us,  and  trust  that  the 
honorable  Legislature  of  Virginia  will  not  be  behind 
the  Roman  Government,  which  under  several  Consuls, 
allowed  exemption  to  the  Jews  from  military  duty  on 
account  of  their  religious  scruples,  and  seeing  that 
we  are  a  peaceable  people,  ever  desiring  to  render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  we  pray  that 
we  may  be  allowed  the  privilege  under  the  Government 
of  this  noble  Old  Commonwealth,  which  we  honor  and 
love,  as  loyal  and  true  citizens  should,  to  render  unto 
God  the  things  that  are  God's  according  to  the  con- 
victions of  our  consciences,  and  therefore  pray  that  we 
may  be  required  to  perform  no  military  duty;  for  we 
consider  the  throwing  up  of  a  battery,  or  the  driving 
of  an  ammunition  or  other  team,  as  much  an  act  of 
war  as  fighting  in  the  ranks.  We  own  no  God  but 
the  God  of  Love,  Truth,  Peace,  Mercy  and  Judgment, 
whose  blessings  we  invoke,  and  whose  wisdom  we 
implore  to  be  with  you  in  your  legislative  deliberations. 

"  Signed  on  behalf  and  by  direction  of  Virginia 
Half- Year's  Meeting  of  the  Religious  Society  of 
Friends  held  at  Richmond  the  fifth  day  of  the  tenth 
month,  1863. 

"  JNO.  B.  CRENSHAW,  Clerk." 

We  congratulate  the  friends  of  peace  upon  the  pro- 
duction of  this  splendid  testimony.  We  are  indebted 


232  THE    OLIVE    BRANCH    OF    PEACE. 

to  Bro.  John  Forrer  and  his  friends  for  preserving 
the  Memorial  and  to  Bro.  Michael  Zigler  for  obtaining 
a  copy.  All  things  come  to  them  who  work,  and  pray, 
and  wait.  May  Peace  like  a  river  flow  on  and  on 
forever,  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea,  over  valley, 
over  lea,  till  each  hilltop,  every  plain,  shall  sing  the 
praise  of  Jesus'  name.  D.  H. 

Broadway,  Va*  January  i,  1907, 


[FINIS.] 


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